Konoha no Basuke rewrite
by AizenTheGoat
Summary: A rewrite of Konoha no Basket with some changes.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright people so here is the first chapter of the rewrite of Konoha no Basket. I changed a couple of things in the story but the premise is still the same. Anyways let's get on with the chapter, hopefully you guys like it.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Kuroko no Basket

The sound of basketballs and squeaking shoes could be heard from even outside the door. Currently inside the Konoha Gakuen gym were the members of the basketball club. Everyone was either taking shots or running specific drills. Among them was a seventeen year old blonde haired boy.

He's 5'7 and is wearing a sleeveless navy blue shirt and black basketball shorts with a thin orange stripe running down the sides. He has black crew socks and is wearing black under armour curry 2's. This is Naruto Uzumaki, second year, the point guard and captain of the team, and wears the number four.

" _Man, the school year is almost over and the winter cup is about to begin._ " He thinks to himself. Pushing the thought aside he gets to work. Dribbling the ball with his right hand he moves forward crossing the ball between his legs before doing a step back and shooting a three, three feet behind the three point line. The ball soars through the air before going through the hoop with a swish.

Moving to go get the ball he hears someone whistle.

"No matter how many times I've seen you do that it's still impressive." Says a black haired boy. He too is seventeen years old, has two bangs on either side of his face with the back of his head being spiked up. He stands at 5'8 and is wearing a grey short sleeve shirt with blue basketball shorts and a pair of matching Jordan 5s. This is Sasuke Uchiha the second year small forward of the team, and wears the number seven. He also happens to be one of Naruto's closest friends.

As he finishes the sentence he begins his drills which consist of a few jab steps before shooting, as well as some crossover jump stop shots.

"Thanks but I still feel my form a bit sloppy. I want to be able to release the ball faster in case someone can keep up with me." Naruto replies.

"In any case your shots have gotten a lot better since last year." Says a red haired boy from behind them. He had shoulder length red hair and purple eyes and stands at 5'9. Like Naruto he was wearing a sleeveless shirt, though his was black as well as his shorts. He sported red Jordan 7s. This is Naruto's cousin. Nagato Uzumaki, third year and plays power forward. He wears the number eight.

He joined them in the practice by running up to the key, doing a spin move on an imaginary opponent, then proceeded to do a pump fake before jumping and doing a simple one handed dunk.

"Watch out!" A voice yelled. Nagato moved out of the way as a ball almost him under the net. Everybody looks to where the ball was shot from and they saw another one of their team mates. He had short black spikey hair and wore a black short sleeve shirt and blue shorts. He wears white and grey Jordan 4s. A noticeable trait from this one would be the scar on part of his face due to an accident. This is Obito or Tobi as he prefers to be called. He's a second year and is the shooting guard of the team and wears the number six.

"Nice shot Tobi, you're starting to make most of your shots. Keep that up and you'll have an impressive field goal percentage." Naruto says. He hears running approaching quickly so he tosses his recently retrieved ball near the net and watches as the final member of the team caught it in midair before slamming it into the net violently.

The final and tallest member of the team standing at 6'3 is Kisame Hoshigaki. He has spiked up blue hair and small eyes. Unlike the rest of the team he's wearing a white wife beater (to show his muscles) and black shorts and black and white Nike Hyperdunks. He is a third year and center of the team wearing the number eight.

The team continues their practice for the next twenty minutes before the gym doors open and a man in a suit walks in.

The man has long black hair that reaches down to his back and it covers one eye. He's wearing a nice form fitting black suit with matching black shoes. At thirty four years old he still looks like he's twenty. This is the coach of the team Madara Uchiha.

"Everybody quiet down and gather around." He says

The team obeys and stops their shots and drills and gather around the man.

"As you know the Inter high has passed and we were not able to participate. The winter cup will begin this Monday coming up and is a weeklong. I'm glad to say that we will be able to participate." He says.

"How? We only have us five on the team. This is enough us to play scrimmage games with other schools but not enough to actually compete in a tournament." Points out Nagato.

"Don't worry about that I've already taken care of the matter." The coach assures. "Any other questions?"

Surprisingly the next one came from Kisame. "Actually yes. If the tournament is next week how will we be able to do our school work? I doubt they will just let us skip class to play."

"That has been taken care of as well. For the week you've been allowed temporary enrollment in a local school in Tokyo near the hotel we'll be staying at." He says glad they're asking good questions rather than stupid ones. "If that's all then feel free to head home. After you clean up of course. Meet in front of the school gates tomorrow at eight in the morning. Make sure to pack for a week and bring only the essentials. Oh and bring your school uniforms as well." He says before heading out the door.

The team starts putting the equipment in its respective places in silence until Tobi speaks up.

"So what school do you think we've been temporarily enrolled in?" He asks out loud.

"No idea, we'll have to wait until Monday or until coach decides to tell us. I'm more curious as to who he got to join the team to get us to play." Sasuke says

"I hope it's not Sai." Says Naruto "His smile creeps me out." He says drawing a laugh from the team.

"Well the equipment is put away. I'll see you guys tomorrow I'm gonna go get some food." Says Kisame as he leaves.

The rest of the team left soon after.

-Next Day-

Waking up early on a Saturday morning was not something the basketball team enjoyed doing. With difficulty they were all able to arrive at the school gates a few minutes before eight am. As they were waiting for the coach they noticed three people heading in their direction. They also happened to be carrying luggage just like them.

The first one was an average height boy. He has red spikey hair and is wearing black jeans with a red hoodie. He has greenish eyes with bags under them due to him having insomnia. He's seventeen years old and is a second year along with Naruto, Sasuke, and Tobi. His name is Gaara.

Next to him was another average height boy of seventeen years. He has short spikey white hair, tan skin and is constantly sucking on a lollipop. He's wearing blue jeans with a white jacket. He's an odd one. He's always thinking of worst case scenarios in anything he does. This is Omoi.

Finally was a brown haired boy. This one taller than the other two, perhaps around Sasuke's height. He has long brown hair tied into a low ponytail at the bottom and strangely enough has white eyes. He's wearing khaki pants along with a white zip up sweater. This is Neji Hyuga the only other third year besides Nagato and Kisame.

"What are you guys doing here?" Asks Naruto, though by what their carrying the answer should be obvious.

"We're the reserves for your team." Says Gaara in monotone.

"I didn't know you liked basketball." Says Kisame to Neji.

"I don't like it as much as you guys. Madara-Sensei saw the three of us playing in P.E and said we were good. He told us if we came as reserves we'd get extra credit, so it was a no brainer." Neji says.

"So is it just the three of you or is there more?" The question came from Nagato.

"Just us three. Unless coach Madara talked to others and we don't know about it." Replied Omoi.

"No you three are the only ones." Came the voice of their coach who had just arrived and was going to open the gates.

"I thought that a team needed twelve total members. Five starters and seven reserves." Said Sasuke.

"In the NBA yes, that is the case. However in college and high schools it's allowed to have a minimum of eight players. Which is what we have, that makes us eligible to play in the winter cup." He replies.

"Now then" the coach starts "The school has entrusted us with a van to get us to Tokyo, it's a three hour ride to our destination. If anyone needs to use the restroom now would be the time to do it." He says as he opens the doors to the gym.

Everyone uses the restroom as a precaution, even if it were just drops. Once they were all done the coach locked the doors and told everyone to put their luggage in the trunk of the car. After making sure everyone was accounted for they all got in the car.

The coach was the driver, Tobi was in the front passenger seat. Behind them was Kisame, Nagato, and Neji. In the final row in the back was Naruto, Sasuke, Omoi, and Gaara.

"Hey coach does this car have an Auxiliary cord?" Asks Tobi.

"Yes it does." He replies handing it to him.

Taking it upon himself to provide quality music Tobi connects his phone and turns the volume on the car stereo pretty high up. (Insert any song you like).

Nobody noticed Madara's hands tightening on the steering wheel. " _This is what kids call music these days? I can't understand a single thing they're saying. This is going to be a long ride._ "

Three hours later they had finally arrived at the hotel. They all unloaded their belongings and headed inside. On the way Omoi decided to share what was on his mind.

"What if the hotel never confirmed our reservations? Then we're forced to drive back to school and along the way we get a flat tire and have no way of getting home." He vents

Kisame turns to the coach and asks "Why did you bring him along?"

"Because as annoying as his pessimistic ways are he has decent skills, and he's needed if you guys want to compete. Now be stay here and wait for me to call you. I'm going to go check us in."

After going through the proper procedures the team goes to the third floor to their rooms. They had gotten three rooms. Four in each and one for the coach.

"Put your stuff away and meet in my room. There's stuff you need to know." The coach commands.

"Now then, the eight of you will be attending Touou Gakuen for the next week. The school is a few blocks from here but it shouldn't be too difficult to find. Just follow those wearing the uniform.

You are to wear the standard Konoha uniform to let them know you're the temporary students. You will pick up your home room number in the morning on Monday. I trust you will be on your best behavior while there?" He 'asks' though everyone knew it was an order.

The team nods. "Good now get out of here, I'm tired."

They split up to their respective rooms. Naruto, Sasuke, Tobi, and Kisame in one room. Gaara, Neji, Omoi, and Nagato in the other.

"Yo I'm going to go see if I can find a park around here to shoot some hoops for a bit, you guys wanna come?" Asks Naruto having dressed into his practice clothes.

The team responded negative. They all had something they wanted to do or see in Tokyo before school started. Shrugging he left the hotel and walked around the city looking for a park.

After thirty minutes of searching he was beginning to get frustrated.

"Where the hell is there a park around here?" He asks a bit loudly to himself.

"There's one not too far from here." He hears someone say behind him. Turning around he sees a girl with long pink hair, a white shirt, a bow and a short skirt.

"Could you tell me where it is?" He asks finally having a lead.

"Just go down the street, make a left at the burger place and a right on the first major street and it'll be on your left." She says

Nodding he thanks her before leaving.

Following her directions he sees the park she was talking about. There was only one court but that wasn't a problem. There seemed to be someone playing on half of it though.

Taking a closer look he noticed a guy much taller than him with tan skin and dark blue has a white tank top and green pants. He seemed to have a bored facial expression as he shot the ball.

" _Aomine Daiki. The former ace of that team_ " he thinks to himself. The memory of the humiliating loss still in his mind.

Walking up he uses the other half of the court and makes no indication that he even notices the other player. Taking a few shots he stops as he hears the guy talk to him.

"Hey, who are you? I've never seen you around here before." Naruto hears Aomine talk to him.

"Naruto Uzumaki. You could say I'm new around here." He replies before turning back around.

"How about a one-on-one? I'm bored and could use some entertainment. Not that I expect much from you but anything will do at this point." He says

Naruto stops his shot and turns around. "Alright then. Let's play." He says, Aomine's arrogance getting on his nerves. It's time someone took him down a peg or two.

"We'll play half court, first to three wins. Everything is one point unless behind the three point line in which case it's two." Naruto says. Aomine nods.

Naruto starts with the ball from half court. He walks forward dribbling the ball with his left hand. Aomine guarding him with the same bored facial expression.

" _Let's get that look off of your face_ " Naruto thinks to himself.

He fakes to the right, passing the ball from his left hand to his right behind his back then crosses the ball between his legs and goes left. Aomine is still on him though his expression changed.

He takes two steps forward before doing a step back and shooting from in between the three point and free throw line. Aomine's eyes widen a bit as he wasn't expecting to be shaken off.

"Not bad." Aomine says, a smirk starting to appear. Looks like this one might be able to put up somewhat of a challenge.

Tossing the ball to Aomine he guards him as he starts dribbling toward him. Aomine slows down and lets his eyes look to the left before bouncing the ball in that direction.

" _He's trying to get me to reach for it. I got something for you._ " Naruto's hand reaches out for the ball before he pulls back and moves to his left in one quick motion. At the moment he had faked reaching for the ball he had retrieved it and went to his right.

Only to find the blonde still in front of him, arms wide not letting him through. Aomine stops his move and bounces the ball behind his back to prevent it from being taken.

A frown was now present on his face. " _He knew that was coming. He faked being tricked and moved in the way he knew I'd go._ "

"You had a good change of pace going there, but not good enough." Naruto taunts him.

Aomine tsks before crossing the ball through his legs a few times before sprinting down the right side of the court with Naruto still on him.

As he's approaching the end of the court he jumps in the air and twists his body to shoot with one hand from an awkward angle.

Naruto's hand was close but couldn't block it. The ball hit the back board before going into the basket.

Since it was behind the three point line it only counted as two points as per rules of these types of little games. The score now 2-1 in Aomine's favor.

Aomine is starting to feel excited, he's never had to resort to using his formless shots in pickup games like this. Usually the opponents don't put up a fight and he wins without trying.

"Dai-chan I'm ba…Hm?" says Momoi. She's watching her friend playing against the same guy she helped a few minutes ago. The weird part is the facial expression he has. It looks like he's starting to have some fun. Her eyes widen at the thought. It's been a long time since she's seen him enjoy himself.

Naruto has the ball once again and dribbles forward. He's noticed Aomine is taking it more seriously than last time. Naruto looks down and notices his legs are opened a bit wide, which gives him an idea.

Now it's Naruto's turn to smirk. He bounces a few times making sure to be crossing the ball between his own legs and takes one quick step forward to the left. As expected Aomine moved in that direction. As he's moving forward he uses his wrist to flick the ball between Aomine's legs and moves to the right.

In an instant he once again crosses to the left again and takes off. **(If you can't picture it YouTube 'hot sauce ankle breaker. First 20 seconds of first video)**

Not expecting what had just happened he fell backwards and saw the blonde take off to the basket and get the layup. 2-1

He's not the only one shocked. Momoi who had been watching the game go down since she returned couldn't believe what she had just seen. Someone had managed to drop Aomine and make it look easy.

Before the game could continue a phone went off. The blonde picked up and stayed on the line for a few seconds before hanging up.

"Looks like we'll have to do this some other time. I have to get going." He says. As he passes the pink haired girl he says "Oh it's you. Thanks for the directions."

Snapping out of her shock she looks over at her friend and sees that he's now on his feet. He also has a mad smile on his face as he watches the blonde retreat.

"Looks like Tetsu was right Satsuki. There is someone out here who can give me a challenge." He says

"Did you recognize him from anywhere Satsuki?" He asks curious to know where this guy was from.

"Never seen him before. I'm curious now too." She answers.

As they left the park having nothing more to do one thing was on Aomine's mind. Find this new guy again and play all out.

 **Alright so I'll end the first chapter here. Now some changes that have been made are, rather than having it just be game after game I decided I'd put them still in school to be able to show some more interaction between players.**

 **The story premise is still the same. I will also be trying to give more detail during the games and I will no longer be doing POV changes. You'll know when they occur. Also I did Aomine so dirty in that last scene lol.**

 **He will get along with Aomine and Midorima the best in this story as opposed to my other one. Here's the roster in case you're wondering.**

 **Name: Naruto Uzumaki**

 **Position: Point Guard/Captain**

 **Number: 4**

 **Name: Sasuke Uchiha**

 **Position: Small Forward**

 **Number: 7**

 **Name: Obito/Tobi**

 **Position: Shooting Guard**

 **Number: 6**

 **Name: Nagato Uzumaki**

 **Position: Power Forward**

 **Number: 9**

 **Name: Kisame Hoshigaki**

 **Position: Center**

 **Number: 8**

 **Name: Gaara**

 **Position: Reserve Small Forward**

 **Number: 10**

 **Name: Omoi**

 **Position: Reserve Shooting Guard**

 **Number: 11**

 **Name: Neji Hyuga**

 **Position: Reserve Point Guard**

 **Number: 12**

 **Name: Madara Uchiha**

 **Position: Coach**

 **Anyways hopefully you guys liked it and continue to follow it. Leave your suggestions in reviews or PMs. I'll see you guy's next chapter. Later.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, sorry it's taken so long for another chapter but i've been doing other stuff. Anyways here is chapter two, and just letting you know now matches will be changed from cannon. So Touou will not play against Seirin in the first round. As for the pairing of the story i'm not sure honestly. Personally I think the best girl in the anime is Masako Araki the coach from Yosen. Will it be her idk possibly but it could be anyone you suggest. Now that that's out of the way let's get on with it.**

-Sunday-

The rays of light manage to get through the small openings in the blinds of the hotel and shine directly in Naruto's face. Having no other choice than to get up he sits up and stretches. Looking around the room he notices that Sasuke is awake and on his laptop.

"How long have you been awake?" Naruto asks

"For about twenty minutes." He responds not looking up from his laptop.

"What are you doing?"

"Watching a video recap of the Spurs game from yesterday. This hotel doesn't get the channel it was on. How do you manage to beat the Warriors then go on to lose to the Hornets?" He asks himself aggravated.

Naruto scoffs hearing that. "They only beat the Warriors because they had an off night. It won't happen again." Let it be known that Naruto and Sasuke root for the best two teams in the NBA. Though they constantly argue who truly is number one. Naruto claims Golden State while Sasuke claims San Antonio.

"Right." Sasuke says sarcastically.

Their mini argument was broken by the sound of Naruto's stomach grumbling. Looking over at the clock the blonde sees that it's nine thirty in the morning.

"When we got here two days ago I saw that the hotel offers complimentary breakfast to the guests. Wanna go get food?" Naruto says already walking over to his bag to fish out some clothes.

Sasuke nods and does the same. Soon enough they were off.

They headed down towards the lobby where just to the right was their cafeteria. Once there, they looked over everything they had to offer and noticed that they had western style breakfast as well.

Last year the school had a trip to America and they loved the food, especially breakfast.

They ended up getting some pancakes, eggs, and some hash browns. The pair went to sit at one of the vacant tables. Naruto sat in a spot with a clear view through the door that leads to the lobby. Sasuke sat opposite of him.

As they were eating Naruto noticed something. Walking into the lobby were a group of people his age. Though from their height and the fact that they had the same type of luggage that he and his team had, he deduced they were also here for the winter cup.

He was about to get back to his food when he saw another person. She had a white long sleeve womens dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up a quarter of the way, black pants, and some white sneakers.

" _Who is that?_ "

"...and that's how it happened." Sasuke finished his story. Not hearing a reply he looks at his friend and notices his attention is else where. Following his line of sight he sees the woman his friend is looking at.

The woman in question looks their way for a brief second before walking away. No noticeable expression on her face. Looking back at Naruto he could clearly see that the blonde had already formed a crush on this woman.

The black haired boy sighs proceeds to crush his friends dreams by pointing out facts.

"Forget it Naruto. She's easily 29 or 30. She's almost double your age. Why can't you find a nice girl your age like the rest of us."

"Come on man, did you see that look she gave me? She's at least interested a little." He defends.

Sasuke shook his head, his friend was seeing what he wanted to see. He remembered to the time when he found out about his friend's preferences in women.

 _Flashback_

 _They had finally gotten a break after taking an exam. While their sensei went out to do something Naruto and Sasuke were hanging out near the window talking about girls._

" _I just don't get it." Started Sasuke "Everybody knows Hinata likes you. All you have to do is ask her out and she'll say yes. People are starting to talk, and not in a good way."_

" _Let them talk all they want. I just have my eyes on someone else that's all." Naruto replies._

" _Who?" Naruto doesn't reply. He looks like he's debating with himself on telling his friend._

" _Is she in this class?" Sasuke pushes. He receives a nod in response_

 _He immediately starts looking around the class and mentally crossing off each one._

 _Not Tenten she's too tomboyish, apparently not Hinata, Temari has a boyfriend, Ino does too, Sakura isn't interested._

" _I've gone over every girl in class and none of them are it. The only other girl left is our sen…" He stopped his sentence as he saw the look on his friends face._

" _You have a crush on Uzuki-Sensei?"_

 _Flashback End_

He remembered how devastated Naruto had been when he found out she had a boyfriend. Sasuke wasn't surprised as he had seen her before with Mr. Gekko.

While he felt bad for the kid he also thought it was a good thing. Naruto's skills improved tremendously during his little funk and only continued to improve. As terrible as it sounded, it was a good thing Naruto ended up sad about it.

"Come on let's go back. Everyone is probably up by now." With that they headed up to their room.

Sasuke had been right. Everyone was awake. It seemed that the entire team was in their room.

"Where were you guys?" Asked Kisame

"Down stairs getting breakfast." Naruto replies. That was all Kisame needed to hear before he started walking to the door, the rest of the team following him. When they opened the door they saw their coach standing there.

"Before you go anywhere, be sure you're back in two hours. I spoke to the hotel Manager and managed to reserve the gym's basketball court for two hours. Do not make me go looking for you." He says narrowing his eyes before going back to his room.

Two hours later everyone was heading down to the gym dressed in their practice clothing. When they finally made it there, the coach was sitting at one of the benches writing some things down in his clipboard.

Hearing us approach he stopped and stood up.

"Good, now that you're all here we can begin. We'll start by doing a warm up. Give me twenty suicides up and down the court." He commanded. Nobody bothered to complain as they'd end up doing more for sure.

After a few minutes they were all panting a bit and taking in large breaths.

They all heard the sounds of a cart getting near and saw that the coach had a small cart filled with the gym's basketballs.

"Everybody come get a ball." While they did that the coach went to one of the storage rooms he was given access to and came back with some cones and proceeded to place them in different parts of the court.

Soon enough there was a line of cones in front of all eight players.

"For the first ten minutes you will be crossing through the legs through each cone. You will cross from right to left and then left to right until you reach the final cone. Once you finish you will return to the beginning and repeat the process but starting with your left hand and so on until i blow the whistle." He ordered. He gave them a second to get ready and blew the whistle.

For ten minutes the team did as they were told and went up and down the cones practicing their dribbling. The sound of the whistle sounded and they stopped and looked at the coach.

Nodding his head satisfied with how they did he spoke. "Good, now you will be doing individual drills focused on your positions. Hoshigaki, you will be working with me on rebounding. Uzumaki, third year, I want you to practice jab step fakes, then cut into the baseline with one or two dribbles before doing a layup.

Tobi, you will have Omoi helping you. I've placed a cone near the wing of the court. You will run to the cone before going back to your original position and quickly shooting. Omoi will be in charge of tossing you the ball. You two will switch roles after one is done.

Uchiha, you and Gaara will also be doing the same drills to begin with. One will dribble with one hand four times before crossing through the legs while the other throws a second ball at you, then you toss it back while still dribbling and move around the three point line.

Uzumaki and Hyuga you two will be working on creating space. I want you to practice your step backs. Uzumaki, I know you can do them well but your shot release could be faster. Any larger player can still stop you. Hyuga, I know you're also good but we need to work on your footwork.

You have your instructions get to work. I'll be walking around monitoring your progress in a bit and will give new drills when I see it fit." He blew the whistle and everybody got to work.

By the time the two hours were up everyone had done at least seven different drills each all meant to improve an area they struggled in or to improve upon a strength.

After everybody went back upstairs they all took their turns showering and were looking forward to just hanging out before having to sleep and go to this new school tomorrow. They heard a knock at their door and saw the coach once again.

"Meet in my room, we're going over some footage of our first opponent and we need to draw up a game plan."

They played the tape. Their opponent was a school called Fukiage. They watched for twenty minutes observing and making a comment here and there about any weaknesses they saw, there were a lot of comments.

Once the tape had ended the coach turned to the team and asked, "So what do you guys think?"

Kisame spoke up first, "They're full of themselves. They focused so much on being flashy and trying to get the spotlight, their defense is almost non existent."

Nagato pitched in next, "I agree. It'll be easy to get some passes through and score. I noticed that they have a tendency to leave the key open. We can use that to our advantage."

"Their point guard also seems to not be aware of his surroundings as much as he should. I noticed he always dribbles the ball close to his right and bounces high. That's why they got the ball stolen so much. If we fake a double team one can steal the ball easily enough." Says Neji.

Everyone agreed with the assessment. "I agree with everything you said." Started Madara "With that in mind we'll run plays that are more pass oriented centering around the key. No need to show more than necessary."

With that everybody was finally able to go to sleep.

The following morning it was about 7:20 when everyone woke up to get ready for school. They all wore their school uniform which consisted of black slacks, a white button up with a black blazer along with a dark green tie.

Most of the boys wore it properly but Kisame and Naruto opted to leave the top unbuttoned along with their blazers opened.

They only took about twenty minutes to get dressed and head out. They listened to their coach's directions and sure enough there were plenty of people in the Touou uniform heading in a specific direction. The only difference in their uniforms was the tie color.

"You'd think that they'd at least try to be discreet if they're going to stare." Says Tobi talking about the Touou students giving them glances.

"It was to be expected" Starts Sasuke "We're from a different school tagging along with them."

"He's right. We just have to put up with it for a few days, until we go back." Says Neji

They walked for another ten minutes before the school building was within view. They walked through the gates and received even more stares. Ignoring them they walk to the administration building to get their homeroom number.

The lady behind the desk looks up upon hearing the door open and eight students walked in. She knew they were the temporary student from Konoha Gakuen.

"We're here for our homeroom." Says Kisame. The others shake their head at the blatant way Kisame said it.

The lady scowled but held her tongue and printed a sheet of paper before placing it on the desk for them to see. Looking over the sheet they spoke,

"Looks like I don't have the same homeroom as any of you guys." Says Naruto

"Omoi, Gaara, and I are in the same class." Says Sasuke

"Kisame and myself are also in the same class." Says Neji

"Tobi and I are in the same class." Says Nagato

"Damn." Says Naruto, he's not going to know anyone in his class. They head out and look for their respective classes. Naruto heads left while the rest go right. Eventually he found it and walked inside, the sensei looked at him with confusion before he remembered the memo.

"You must be the temporary student."

"Yes sir, Uzumaki Naruto." He says. Sensei nods and tells him to take a seat in the back.

He was staring out the window when the class had started and noticed that he was sitting next to some tall guy. Spiky dirty blond hair and scowl on his face.

" _Being as tall as he is I'm willing to bet that he's on the basketball team._ "

The day went on uneventfully. No one talked to him unsurprisingly. This class was a bit behind in math so he had no trouble answering any questions he was asked. After math class it was P.E in which he obviously grabbed a basketball and took some shots.

He made sure to not do anything that would attract attention. He practiced his free throws for a bit before taking some shots from different areas on the court. He made sure to miss a few even on purpose, he was technically on enemy ground. Someone could be watching and they'd lose an element of surprise during the actual tournament.

The rest of the day passed agonizingly slow. With no friends in his classes he was forced to either pay attention or stare out the window. The only form of entertainment he had was thinking of different funny scenarios in class that wouldn't ever occur.

When class was finally over he received a text from his friends asking if he wanted them to wait for him since their classes were near the front of the school. He texted them back to go on ahead and he'll be there quickly.

Throwing his bag over his shoulder he headed out. He had higher expectations for class today but that all flew out the window. On the bright side the winter cup started today and they were finally able to compete.

He got back to the hotel and headed for the elevator, as he neared he noticed someone was inside. It was the lady from the other day. His day had just gotten better, " _Now's my chance._ " He thought to himself.

He got in the elevator and didn't say a word. They started going up and he could hear the little dings every time they passed a floor. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and she spoke.

"Is there something you need?" She asked in voice which was a combination of annoyed and curious.

" _Think_." He had a mini flashback from the time he had to proofread one of his godfather's books and remembered a line one of his characters had used that seemed good enough.

He noticed that there was only one floor to go before his so he went for it.

"I was just thinking that I definitely know you from somewhere. I don't think I would've forgotten you." He says as the bell dings and the doors open.

He walks out and continues to his room without looking back.

In the elevator Araki had raised an eyebrow at the young man's statement. " _Was he hitting on me?_ " She thought before the door closed. She didn't know if she should feel flattered or amused.

Back with Naruto he was happy with how that went. But on the other hand " _I can't believe i just used one of pervy sage's lines. Hopefully it goes as well as it did in his book._ "

When he finally got to his room he saw his three roommates watching TV. He decided to join them until it was time to get ready. They had their game plan set up so the only thing left was to wait until it was actually time to go to work.

After two hours there was a knock on the door and the rest of the team along with the coach entered the room.

"All right listen up, our first match is in an hour. Grab your gear and let's head on out."

The team quickly changed into dark green warm up pants with a black line running down the sides along with a matching jacket. On the back it said Konoha Gakuen in Kanji.

They didn't take long to get ready and they made it to Tokyo Gymnasium in good time. They walked through the hallways until they saw the locker room that had their school's name on it.

Walking inside they saw a sizable room with lockers all around. Not needing to be told what to do they all took of their warm up gear and changed into their basketball uniforms.

They were dark green jerseys with black lining around the neck and a thick line down the sides. (Like the boston Jersey's). They all wore the same style shoes that they use for practice only in all black.

"You all know the game plan for tonight. While this team isn't exactly a threat we can't underestimate them either. Just run the plays we went over and you will be fine." Says Madara.

The team nods and heads out to the courts for some warm up shots.

" _Enjoy yourself while you can Akashi, because by the end of this week your little undefeated streak will come to an end. And you will be dethroned._ " Thinks Naruto as he heads out with his team.

 **That's the end of chapter two. Now as i said in the beginning Araki may not be the pairing but i just couldn't help myself as she's my favorite female in the series and she doesn't get enough time in my opinion. In fact I have a story I wrote about her and our favorite blonde that I just never bothered to put up. Should I upload it? Anyways the school interactions will be better after people witness the first match which will take place next chapter. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns feel free to leave them in a review or a PM. Later.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys sorry for the long wait but as some of you might know, the school semester is almost over which means tests are coming up. This might take up a lot of my time depending on how much work I need to do but don't worry, I'll try and update any chance I get. Now in this chapter the first game is played but not all of it will be told since it's a minor game. I'm showing enough so that you get a taste of their play style. I'll be more descriptive most likely in the next game which you guys will probably be happy with. And a shout out to Darkhelm145 for an interesting idea he suggested. Anyways right now just enjoy the new chapter.**

The team left the locker room, uniforms donned and headed to their assigned court. Upon arrival they see the other team already warming up. Kisame looks around and notices that there's not as many people present as he thought there would be.

The coach speaks as if reading his mind. "Most of the people are in other sectors of the arena, most likely watching the more known teams compete. This is our first year participating so it's no surprise that it's not a full house. That however works in our favor." He says

"With less people here than we don't have to worry about too many people getting a feel for our play style." Continues Nagato

"Even though it won't really do much considering our game plan for today. However, we are going to make a statement tonight." Finishes Naruto.

The team proceeds to go to their half of the court and retrieve a ball to begin their pregame warm up. The team goes for simple lay ups one after the other for a minute before each doing their own thing.

Naruto dribbles down the court crossing the ball between his legs a few times and looks up at the basket. As he does so he notices a flash of pink toward the top of the bleachers.

" _It's that girl from the park, and she has a camera._ " He thinks as he lays the ball in. Not bothering to get it he jogs over to Sasuke and proceeds to guard him. Sasuke tries to power dribble his way through but as he gets near Naruto he hears him talk.

"Look at the top floor of the bleachers on our left side" Naruto whispers as he continues to guard his friend.

Sasuke continuing the act does as he's told and sees what his blonde friend is talking about. He turns and does a simple fade away jump shot. Nodding he goes to the others to let them know they're being watched.

Ten minutes later about a fourth of the bleachers had showed up and it was time to begin. Naturally Kisame would be the one jumping for first possession. The referee got in between them and threw the ball in the air and moved out of the way.

Kisame jumped higher than his opponent and smacked the ball over to Konoha.

Naruto catches the ball and they all run down the court. Naruto notices that the opposing team's point guard is the one guarding him.

He looks around and notices Sasuke on his right hand side shake his defender by faking running forward before coming back. Naruto puts a fist in the air and runs in Sasuke's direction.

His defender follows only to be stopped by the screen set up by Sasuke. Naruto continues towards the basket and notices that Sasuke's defender along with Kisame's- who was close by- are closing in on him.

" _Gotcha_ " He fakes a shot and they jump. He bounce passes to Kisame who dunked the ball and hung on the rim for a second before they ran back.

As the Fukiage team approached their side of the court everyone went to guard their player, except Sasuke who stood between the point guard Naruto was guarding and the shooting guard he was supposed to guard.

Remembering what they had learned from watching them play Naruto applied more pressure and his opponent turned his body while dribbling the ball. He noticed that he seemed to be considering passing to one of his team mates but he took too long as Sasuke ran up from behind him and smacked the ball away.

Immediately he turned and chased Sasuke who at this point was too far up the court to be caught and finger rolled the ball into the basket.

"Nice work Sasuke." Says Naruto as he gets ready.

"Hn" is all he got as a reply.

To a regular person the coach seemed to lack any expression, however, if one looked closely you could see he was pleased that the team was taking advantage of their opponent's weaknesses.

"Hey" yelled the power forward of Fukiage indicating he was open. He gets the ball and tries to cross Nagato but has trouble. He power dribbles before passing to their shooting guard who barely manages to stop the ball from being picked.

He looks around for team mates but everyone's being boxed in. Having no choice he's forced to shoot, but a piece gets touched by Tobi and the ball hits the rim and bounces off. "Damn" he says

Kisame jumps up and grabs it out of the air. "Let's go" he yells and dribbles down the court. He throws it to Tobi who was wide open. The team noticed that they had started paying more attention to the key now.

" _We'll just have to make them slip up won't we_ " he thinks to himself. He runs right by his defender and tosses it high over to Kisame, who had no problem catching the ball due to his height advantage. He dribbles through his defender and goes for the dunk.

The opponents center was in the air as well trying to stop the shot. However, luck was not on his side as Kisame quickly tosses the ball over to Nagato who was just inside of the three-point line and hit a deep 2.

The crowd cheers as they watch Konoha outclass Fukiage. They all run back on defense and notice that the expressions on the other team's face are that of frustration.

They come down the court damn near sprinting and their shooting guard stops just on the three-point line. He struggles to get passed Tobi before trying to lob the ball to one of his team mates.

"Wait no!" Shouts the small forward as he knew that it was about to be picked by Sasuke. True enough in desperation it was picked off and tossed to Naruto who began running alongside Sasuke.

The blonde was completely by himself and proceeded to lay the ball into the basket and ran back.

He fist bumped with Sasuke and high fived with Tobi before telling them to get ready.

"We're doing good let's get them to force more shots." Says Tobi

Fukiage's power forward crossed the ball through his legs a few times and faked directions trying to shake Nagato.

The red haired man shook his head. This one was known for being flashy and that tended to cost a person.

Nagato closed in and threw his arm in trying to swipe the ball, while making a hand sign with the other letting the team know it was time to sneak in for the steal.

Naruto took charge and ditched his defender and double teamed the man and managed to get the ball.

"Let's move." He says and runs down the court. Naruto notices that the shot clock was turned off and there was only thirteen seconds left in the first quarter. He decided to just let the clock run and hold possession.

When the clock hit 8 seconds the coach stood up and made a gesture indicating three. Naruto motioned for Tobi to get the ball and made a screen allowing Tobi to get a clear shot. He shoots it as the buzzer goes off and splashes the three.

The teams walk over to their respective benches and sit down. At the end of the first quarter Konoha has an 11-0 lead over Fukiage.

"Man this slow pace play style is annoying. We could be murdering them right now." Complains Kisame before drinking his Gatorade.

"Yes Kisame we could easily be at least 40-0 right now but then people would talk and we'd be monitored even more heavily. We want to hold onto as many cards as we can for the Finals." Says the coach while writing on his clip board.

"Now you guys are doing a good job of applying pressure and picking passes. I want to see a little more ball movement to open up space on the paint. They've noticed that we're taking advantage so we have to force more openings on that end."

As the coach continues going over some plays he wants the team to run Naruto looks over at the crowd and notices that the pink haired girl is no longer there.

"What about 3 pointers coach? As long as we don't show our trump cards would it matter if we started making shots from out sweet spots?" Asks Naruto

Madara thinks it over for a second before addressing him. "If you have the space and are positive that you can make it then by all means shoot them. However, refrain from showing _anything else_." He says making sure the team knows what he means by that.

They all nod and head back out on the court. Naruto and Tobi though, everyone could tell was more excited than the rest. They would be able to shoot from their favorite spots.

The second quarter started with Fukiage having possession of the ball.

They came down the court and began passing to one another rapidly trying to get one of the guys to slip up. Unfortunately for them they were prepared for this. They kept their defense tight and forced passes.

The shooting guard got close enough to the basket and shot. Just barely out of Nagato's reach and went in. They had scored their first point of the game.

Naruto got the ball and the team went on the offensive. Naruto dribbled through his legs a few times and faked going from side to side, getting a feel for his defender. Once satisfied he faked to the right, crossed left and moved forward before stepping back behind the three-point line and shooting.

It was nothing but net. For the rest of the quarter the game was completely one sided. The plays consisted of Kisame breaking through his defender and dunking. Sasuke setting up screens to let Nagato get close for layups and the occasional dunk.

Sasuke crossing his opponents over and hitting shots from deep in the two-point line. Finally, there was Tobi and Naruto getting three pointers in any chance they got.

By the end of the second quarter it seemed that Konoha had changed drastically. The score at the half time was 56-11 in Konoha's favor. Naruto led the team with 17 points, Tobi had 12, Kisame had 10, Nagato had 8, and Sasuke had 9.

-In the locker room-

"Is it just me or did they lose the will to play?" Asks Sasuke from his seat.

"I know what you mean, their defense was even worse than it was when we started." Says Nagato.

"It doesn't matter." Came the voice of the coach "They're a minor team in the tournament. Just keep doing what you're doing and soon enough we'll get to the big players.

For the third quarter, Uzumaki, Uchiha, and Tobi will be sitting out. Omoi, Hyuga, and Gaara will be substituting." Nobody questioned his orders and just nodded. They had faith that they would do well.

"Now let's go over some plays." He says. Sasuke, Naruto, and Tobi put on a Konoha Gakuen t-shirt and sat in on the conversation.

When half time was over Naruto and the other two joined the coach on the bench and watched the game go down.

 _Substituting for Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuga Neji. Substituting for Uchiha Obito, Omoi. Substituting for Uchiha Sasuke, Gaara."_ Says the announcer.

"Another Hyuga? Do you think he's related to the one in Seirin?" Asked a few people in the crowd.

"There's another Hyuga here?" Asked Kisame as they waited for the game to resume.

"They're probably talking about one of my cousins. He lives here in Tokyo, goes to Seirin high school if I'm not mistaken. They must have already played today." He says as they get ready.

The referee came over to the and gave Konoha the ball. Game on.

Neji dribbled down court and looked over the court. He crossed to the right quickly before bullet passing the ball to Nagato who had just made some space between him and his defender and knocked down a short jumper.

While Naruto was more of a jack of all trades point guard, Neji was a more assist oriented one. He knew when and where to pass the ball with almost frightening accuracy.

Gaara got in position as his mark was nearing. Quickly he got in position and had his arms out wide not allowing him to pass.

"You're not going to get through me you know." Gaara said to him.

"tsk. We'll see about that."

The man tried to cross him over but as with this team his dribbling went up to high. Gaara was able to anticipate when he'd try to cross again and shot his arm in and swatted the ball away. He quickly grabbed it and ran down the court. His defender however was right on him.

He went or the layup and was pushed in the air as his defender tried to block the shot. The ball rolled around the rim a few time before dropping in.

The sound of a whistle blew.

"Defensive foul. One free throw." Said the ref.

Gaara got into position at the free throw line. He looked at his team mates and saw them all nod at him and indicate towards Kisame.

Knowing what the plan was he shot the ball and it bounced off of the rim. As everyone jumped up to get the ball Kisame slammed it in giving them the extra point.

Getting back in defense Gaara quickly got back to guarding the same guy who once again had the ball. Though this time he quickly shot the ball from pretty far in the two-point line and made it.

Back on offense Nagato took the ball and ran down court. He looked around and passed it to Neji who dribbled past his defender and passed it to Kisame, who was nearing the basket.

"Over here." Called out Omoi. He was right on the three-point line wide open since everyone anticipated that Kisame would dunk. Getting the ball, he shot and made the shot. He thought it was a three but it was counted as a two since he was on the actual line.

The rest of the game was played in a similar fashion. Konoha's offense and defense was just on another level than that of Fukiage. In the end Naruto, Sasuke, and Tobi remained out for the duration of the game and Konoha ended the match with a 101-30 victory.

Heading back to the locker room they didn't notice that sometime during the second quarter the pink haired girl had returned.

"Dai-chan come on."

"What do you want Satsuki? I want to go to sleep." Says a lazy Aomine in his house.

Momoi had come barging in telling him to watch some DVD of some team. He wasn't interested.

"We destroyed our opponent today Satsuki, that's how any team will end up." He says

"Well this team also destroyed theirs." She says before smirking "In fact, the blonde guy you played against is on the team."

That got his attention. He had been wanting to know when he'd get a chance to go one-on-one with him again.

"Fine play the damn DVD" He said trying to pretend to be uninterested. As he watched the game he couldn't help but smirk. The blonde was holding back. The moves he used in the game against that lowly school were all just the fundamentals. But he knew better, the blonde could've made sure to double the score if he had played like he did the other day.

"You know we have to play against them next right? Or were you not paying attention?" Momoi says.

It had been a long time since he felt this excited about a basketball game. Maybe for once he'd get to go all out against someone.

xxxxx

-With Yosen-

"You were getting lazy out there." She chastises them "You could have turned the ball over a hand full of times and cost us points."

"But we won in the end so what does it matter Ara-chin?" Asked a purple haired giant "Besides it's not like there's any threats to us at this point."

When he says that, the man next to him remembers that one of his friends from the area had given him a DVD and told him to watch it. He was actually surprised since he asked him only to deliver one if the team was a threat.

"Coach Araki. I have a DVD that I was told we should have a look at." She looked at him with an unreadable expression and nodded. Perhaps this would keep them from saying anything that would give her a headache.

Himuro popped the DVD in and waited for it to start.

"I don't recognize the green ones." Says Fukui

The coach on the other hand muttered "it's that kid from the elevator"

They watched as Konoha completely controlled the match.

"They've got good teamwork." Okamura said as he leaned forward watching the match

"They're all decent shooters, but nothing too impressive." Says Fukui again.

That was until they saw Naruto in the end of the second quarter to a through the legs behind the back step back three pointer through three of his defenders.

Araki couldn't stop her eyebrows from raising. That was a damn good shot.

They watched the rest of the video even after three starters were taken out.

"Looks like we might have some competition after all Murasakibara." Says Himuro to the giant who was now frowning.

Back with Naruto they had made it back to their hotel and had all showered up and went to their rooms.

"Well we made it through the first round." Says Naruto from his bed.

"It wasn't that difficult." Sasuke replies from his laptop muttering something under his breath about the Spurs.

"What are you looking at anyways?" Asks Kisame

"I'm checking to see if I can find out who we're playing against next. Got it." Apparently the Tokyo gymnasium had updated its website with information about the tournament. "We're playing against Touou Gakuen next." He says

At that time the coach also knocked on their door and told them to meet up so they could discuss the plan for the next game.

They were all present and waiting for the coach to begin. "Now you may or may not know but our next game is against Touou Gakuen. I've gone over the tape and I'll tell you now, they're nothing like the team we just played. You'll have to play much harder than you did today. Now let's begin."

As he was putting the DVD in Naruto couldn't help but also feel a little anxious. He was one step closer to the finals. He had no doubt that's the only time he'll get the opportunity to face Akashi.

" _I can't wait to see the look on your face when you see what I have in store for you._ " Naruto thinks as he watches the video.

 **Well that's it for this chapter, I hope you guys liked it. The next game will have more detail than this one since it was just a minor team. Anyways a lot of people have been telling me they want Momoi as the pairing. There's still time to give your input. Anyways if you have any suggestions leave them in a review or PM me. Later.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys I'm back with another chapter. These next two or three weeks are the final ones left in the semester. Therefore, it's almost certain that I will be busy with school work and what have you. This will probably be the last update to my stories until finals and projects pass. It will be no more than three weeks though I'm almost sure. After that I can update a quicker rate for you guys. But enough of that some news about the story. Over 95% of people wanted Momoi as the pairing. While I wanted Araki I'll just upload a separate story later on with that pairing. I have a good idea on how to pair Momoi with Naruto in a realistic way since she's obsessed with Kuroko. Anyways onto the story.**

"So, what did you guys think?" Madara asks the team. They had just finished watching Touou Gakuen completely crush their opponents in the first round of the Winter Cup.

"They're self-centered beyond belief. The only bit of team work they showed was passing the ball. Whoever got it would try and score themselves." Says Sasuke.

"I noticed that they let their ace do whatever he wants too. During the time outs he wasn't paying attention. He was just keeping his eyes closed." Pitches in Neji. "He hardly gave his teammates a second glance the moment he got the ball."

"Aomine won't pass, willingly at least. He believes himself to be unbeatable." Says Naruto

"Tsk. Such arrogance." Says Nagato

"All of you are correct. The only thing they seem to trust is their Ace's ability to score and beat anyone. That's where they will fall, if we subdue their Ace the rest of the team comes down with him. From what we saw it's safe to say he's a natural streetball player. His shots have no form and his agility came from the unorthodox movements streetball requires." Says the coach

"From what I saw he never took a shot from beyond the three-point line." Says Omoi.

Madara nods in agreement with the observation. "Very true, we will have to try and keep him beyond the three-point line though that won't be that easy. Uchiha and Uzumaki will guard him and will switch marks every so often as to not let him get a feel for your defense"

The two boys nod. It was a good idea.

"Now then, we're going to be switching up our play style in this match. Obviously playing with the fundamentals won't work against him. So we're going to have to change it up. You're all proficient in streetball as well. Though it's unheard of to use that style of play in actual games, it will come in handy against this particular opponent. Begin with our regular play style until you feel the need to switch.

Our defense is good but on offense is where you will shine. Your teamwork is good as well as your individual skills. Combine those streetball skills along with the teamwork you've developed and we should have very little to worry about.

These people have come to believe that only the Generation of Miracles possess above average abilities. We are going to show them otherwise. Use only as much as absolutely necessary. Let me go over the rest of your marks and some plays for the match." He says.

The rest of the meeting happened rather quickly. Everyone knew their jobs and who they would mark. With that everyone returned to their respective rooms for the night.

As they were just lying in their individual beds Naruto sat up and noticed Sasuke taking a picture of himself…shirtless.

"Sasuke what the hell are you doing?"

The boy didn't even look at him and resumed his business.

"I'm uploading a picture for Instagram." He says as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"A picture of what? Those twigs you call arms?" Kisame says as he starts laughing along with the others.

Sasuke knowing he couldn't say the same to Kisame since he was jacked, looked around the room and decided to go on the offensive on an innocent bystander. In this case it just so happened to be Tobi.

"Tobi, I know you're not laughing. Your arms are so long you could patty cake with Kami." He says. The rest forgot about Sasuke's picture situation and began laughing at Tobi who just tsk'ed and went to sleep.

After calming down the rest followed his lead and also slept.

-The Next Day-

The boys all got up begrudgingly and got dressed getting ready for another day of education. Once they were all dressed they waited a bit for the other guys to join them. Once assembled they headed out.

"Well it's game day. Time for round 2." Says Naruto as they walk. "You all remember your positions?"

A chorus of 'Yes' was their answers.

As they waited for the elevator to take them down Kisame spoke. "I'm excited about getting an actual decent game."

The ding that indicated the elevators arrival was heard. Once the door opened they noticed that the other team was with them. Looks like they too got admitted into a school temporarily. Like them they kept their uniform. White and purple.

Walking inside they all headed to the bottom floor.

"Hmm, you guys are so small." Says the giant purple haired one. His team sighs and some face palm knowing what he was about to say. "It makes me want to crush you."

No one on the team reacted, except for Kisame. He smiled and dropped his bag on the elevator floor and walked up to him. Even though he was shorter than the purple haired boy he wasn't scared.

"Why don't you go ahead and try it you little shit." Says Kisame making a fist.

"Himuro you have to stop Murasakibara." One of them says. The one with the black hair covering one eye stepped forward.

Tobi too decides to hold onto Kisame's shoulder stopping him from doing anything stupid. While Himuro was going to stop the fight regardless he was more worried about the look that the blonde was giving his teammate. It was one of pure disdain.

"Murasakibara that's enough. You can't just insult people like that. Here have a snack and stay quiet." He says pulling out a Umaibo.

"Let it go Kisame, we came here to compete in the tournament. Not to get in fights." Naruto tells him. He glances at Murasakibara "Tempting as may be Coach would be furious."

The doors open and both teams walked out, glad to be out of that awkward environment.

On the way to school, now outside Kisame says "Man that guy was this close to getting his ass beat." While closing his thumb and index finger closer together to make his point.

-At School-

Once again in his seat Naruto sighs. None of his teammates are in his classes and now he has to sit here and take notes.

" _Man, why can't school just be cancelled this week?_ "

"Hey it's you." He hears a bubbly voice next to him. He looks over and sees the girl from the park and the game.

"Oh, hey…." He trails off not knowing her name.

"I'm Momoi Satsuki. Nice to meet you." She introduces herself

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet you too." He says before adding. "I didn't know you were a second year. I didn't see you here yesterday.

"Oh I'm not a second year. I'm a first year, but my scores in math were high enough that they placed me in second year math. I'll have to leave after this. And yesterday I was late to class." She explains.

As she does he finally takes a good look at her. _She's pretty_ is his thought.

"It looks like we're playing against you guys today. My friend is really looking forward to it." She continues

"The blue haired one?" He asks already knowing she was talking about him.

"Yeah. I haven't seen him this excited for a basketball game in ages. You left a lasting impression that day at the park. I didn't think I'd ever see the day where Dai-chan was dropped like that."

Before he could respond the teacher begins to call roll and begin the class. Before she went to her seat he stole another glance at her face before pulling out his notebook.

True to her word after math ended she had to go to her regular first year courses with her assigned teacher. For the rest of the day he was bored out of his mind. Though he could feel the stare coming from the sandy haired boy next to him.

No doubt they must have seen the video footage of him and his team from the game.

When school finally ended he walked back to his hotel with his team. Kisame, Neji, and Nagato in the front, Tobi, Gaara, and Omoi behind them. All the way in the back was Sasuke and Naruto.

As they entered the hotel Naruto saw the same woman he had tried to hit on before coming his way. Though he let out a disappointed sigh when she walked right passed him and didn't bat an eyelash at him.

He wasn't the only one who sighed, Sasuke did as well having seen what had transpired.

He looks over at the blonde and speaks low enough so that only he could hear him, though he wouldn't be surprised if the others knew already.

"Naruto, you have to let it go before you end up getting hurt again. I don't want to sound like a dick or anything but, do you really think a grown woman like her would give you the time of day?" He asks

Naruto was about to defend himself but Sasuke cut him off and spoke once more.

"You have no career, you're half her age, you still live at home with your parents. Why would she want that? She's probably at that age where she wants to settle down and possibly start her own family. I know you can't control that you just happened to be attracted to older women, that's not your fault. But just think about it. If you were to ask her out and by some miracle she agreed. By the time you're 40 she would be nearing 60. Is that ok with you? Just think about this before you try and approach her again." He says before catching up to the others.

Naruto continued walking but kept thinking about what Sasuke had told him. As the elevator went up he realized that Sasuke was right. He had absolutely no chance.

" _Damn, that's the third one I can't have. I bet I never really had a chance with the other two either._ " He thinks to himself as they enter their rooms.

They finish their homework quickly enough and get dressed into their sweatshirts and matching pants and head out to the arena for their next match.

During the pregame warm up the team noticed that Naruto was quieter and practicing a bit harder than he did yesterday. His shots were smoother as was his movement.

They all looked at Sasuke and he nodded and confirmed their suspicions it was Ms. Uzuki all over again. Though as bad as it sounded it couldn't have come at a better time.

They would need him to play harder for this game. Ten minutes later the whistle blew and everyone got in position for tip off.

- **Konoha Gakuen vs Touou Gakuen**

While everyone was getting set up Naruto noticed that it was a full arena. He noticed that the school from the elevator was in the stands. Neji's cousin's team, Seirin was also in attendance. His eyes however narrowed when he noticed a white and blue uniform near the top. It was Rakuzan.

Deciding to get rid of those thoughts he got in position and waited for the jump ball.

He saw that it was Wakamatsu from his temporary class jumping against Kisame. He noticed the one with the glasses was looking over at them a lot. Narrowing his eyes, he changed his position.

When Kisame won the jump and threw the ball towards Sasuke, the one with the glasses made his move and ran over rather than jump when his center jumped.

Naruto intercepted him and got the ball. He looked surprised that Naruto had gotten in the way. Rather quickly he composed and his team went on the defensive.

Sasuke passed the ball to Naruto and they ran up court. Imayoshi was guarding him as he dribbled. Remembering the plan, he put a fist up quickly and Nagato ran to his side to set up the screen.

He ran around them and moved into the key and did a short fade away jump shot. They ran back to start defense. Naruto saw Imayoshi get the ball so he went to guard him, while Sasuke stayed on Aomine.

"A little short to be guarding me don't you think?" Imayoshi tells Naruto.

"Perhaps a little, but I'm more than enough to stop you." He replies.

"We'll see." He dribbles and makes a beeline towards the basket. Kisame leaves his mark and jumps to stop him but Imayoshi double clutches underneath the bucket and scores.

Going back on offense Naruto throws the ball to Sasuke. He watches as Aomine keeps his eyes on him like a hawk. Sasuke fakes a few times but doesn't shake him. He dribbles while moving back and makes a fist.

As Naruto was about to move Imayoshi also followed him stopping him from helping his teammate.

"You don't think we'd let you set up those screens on us as much as your last opponent did you?" He says with a sinister smile.

Naruto looks at the clock and sees it's ten seconds until a 24 second violation. He nods at Sasuke before looking back at his defender.

"we did honestly, but looks like we'll have to improvise a bit."

Sasuke begins to dribble faster and do a few through the leg dribbles. He attacks the left side running to the basket with Aomine right on his trail. About four feet from reaching the basket he gets low and turns his body in the opposite direction while bouncing the ball behind his back to his left hand.

As expected Aomine was unprepared for this since the team was under the impression that they were a fundamental style team. The only one he was aware of that could do streetball was Naruto.

As soon as Aomine fell for the fake Sasuke spun around and got the clear path for the layup.

The Touou coach frowned as he saw the play but said nothing. He'd let the game continue until he was sure a time out was needed.

Wakamatsu ran down the court with the ball and immediately made a dash towards the basket for the dunk. He'd have to make up for Aomine stopping his opponent.

"Wait Wakamatsu!" he heard the voice of his captain call him. He didn't understand why; he was wide open. There was no one in front of him to stop him. His eyes widened in realization. As the ball was leaving his hand he looked back and saw the giant form of Kisame smacking the ball away towards Nagato.

Taking advantage of Touou's turnover the team ran down the court and threw the ball to Naruto who stood behind the three-point line. Getting the ball, he faked the shot making Imayoshi jump before throwing it to Tobi who stood a few feet to his left also in position for a three.

He shot the ball and made the three. Running back on defense Naruto motioned to Sasuke to switch marks, it was his turn to guard Aomine.

They let the blue haired player get the ball and he began crossing the ball through his legs and ran into the paint with Naruto on him. Once again he ran and took a shot at an awkward angle which went in just like at the park.

Konoha went on the offensive again though it didn't last too long. They in bounded the ball to Tobi who ran alongside Naruto. He did a spin move and got passed Sakurai and immediately passed it to Naruto.

"Don't let him get near the three-point line." Ordered Imayoshi as he approached. They had seen him have his way from the three-point line against Fukiage and didn't want that to happen.

He was blocked by Nagato who left his defender and set up a screen to stop him. As he stood in front of him he told the Touou captain. "Who said he needed to be near the three-point line to score?"

Naruto released the ball from four feet behind the three-point line and hit nothing but net. ( **maybe a foot closer than where curry hit the game winner against the Thunder** )

[Whistle noise]

 _Touou Gakuen, Time out!_

The two teams regrouped with their respective teams.

"Momoi, what happened out there? Things are not going as we had planned. Your observations have only been accurate once." Says the coach

"They're not playing the same way we saw in the footage." Momoi says.

"They had to have known that we observed them and adapted, I can't think of another explanation." Says Wakamatsu.

"Regardless, this isn't a team that you can play against the way we have been. You're going to have to start playing seriously. Even if it's a bit earlier than anticipated. This is only a minor setback."

"Woah, they're handling Touou like nothing." Says Koganei from Seirin.

"Yeah, they already have a 10-4 lead." Says Kiyoshi. "What do you think Riko?"

"I got a small look at their stats at tip off. Even though they still had their shirts on I was able to see that they have ridiculous stats. Three of them are above uncrowned king level while two of them, the black haired one and the blonde are above GOM level." She says shocking them.

"Above their level? Wouldn't they be doing more damage to Touou if that were true?" asks Hyuga.

"I think we might see what they're capable of in a bit. Touou looks like it's about to step its game up. To think there was a team good enough to force them on the defensive this quick."

"You guys are doing good. I like the hustle; however, you're letting yourselves get boxed in when they're on defense. You need to move around more without the ball so you can be prepared for passes." Madara says.

"Uzumaki, for now don't shoot from the same spot more than twice. They're perceptive, I wouldn't doubt it if they can figure out your favorite spots. Kisame I want you to be more aggressive out there, you're taller than their center so you can catch higher passes.

Let's go over some plays."

The thirty seconds were up quickly and everyone was back on court. Touou resumed the game with possession of the ball and gave it to Imayoshi. He ran forward towards the paint and jumps for the shot. As Naruto went to block he passed in midair to Sakurai.

"I'm sorry." The boy says as he hits a three.

Konoha got the ball and Naruto passed it to Sasuke. He did a spin move passed Sakurai and lobbed the ball to Kisame.

Only Naruto noticed Imayoshi stand in front of Kisame as he jumped and got bumped into and dropped. The ball went.

[Whistle noise]

 _Offensive foul on Konoha #8. Basket will not count. Touou ball._

"What!?" Says Kisame about to argue.

"Let it go Kisame, we'll get them back for it." Says Naruto.

They got back on defense and got their marks. Naruto guarded Aomine who had the ball.

Aomine narrowed his eyes as he began dribbling faster and tried his move again. He ran down court and jumped while turning in midair to shoot one handed.

"Not this time." Says Naruto as he managed to get a piece of the ball forcing it to bounce off the rim.

People in the crowd were shocked. None so more than Kuroko. Someone had managed to stop one of Aomine's formless shots.

Nagato got the ball and noticed Tobi was sprinting down court early. He threw a long pass to him and made a hand sign telling him Sakurai was on his tail. Tobi nodded and stopped at the three-point line and pump faked.

The moment he felt Sakurai's arm hit him he jumped up and shot. The sound of a whistle blew.

 _Defensive foul on Touou # 9. Three free throws._

Tobi took his first shot and made it. He quickly high fived his teammates before getting back in position. His next two shots bounced on the rim and backboard before going in. He scored all three free throws.

There was no time left for Touou to shoot as the buzzer sounded indicating the end of the first quarter.

"Woah, can you believe it Shin-chan? They only allowed Touou to score seven in the first quarter. They had forty in the first quarter in their last game."

Shin-chan or Midorima Shintaro was watching in shock. Not only because of how this team was handling Aomine's team, but also because he recognized the blonde that stopped him. He recognized him from middle school, though he wasn't this good back then.

He'd have to talk to him and apologize after the game.

"Shin-chan?"

He adjusted his glasses and spoke "It's surprising. I didn't think I'd see someone stop Aomine like that. Even he looked a bit shocked that someone stopped him. I'm anticipating how Aomine will respond."

"Alright, you're doing good out there but now they're going to come in strong. You need to be ready for what's to come. They're going to start counting on their ace to catch up and start making buckets. We have to respond in kind." Says Coach Madara.

"Sasuke it's time for your inner Tony Parker to come out with those jump shots." Says Naruto

The Uchiha smirked at that. The game was gonna heat up.

The whistle for the second quarter to begin was blown and everyone was back on the court.

Touou had possession of the ball and all five immediately rushed forward. Imayoshi faked a layup forcing Naruto to jump before maneuvering around him to get the shot in.

When Konoha got the ball Naruto took it to the paint but was being boxed in tight by Aomine. He caught a glimpse of Kisame and nodded. He threw the ball high over his head near the basket and the crowd watched as Kisame caught it in midair before slamming it in with one hand.

The second quarter was much more active. It seemed both teams were focusing on their offense and trying to outscore the other. Aomine had been much more active, he switched up his shots deciding to shoot from different areas and in the most complex ways.

( **I'm skipping the second and third quarter since this was to get a feel for the play style. The good shit is coming** ).

By the beginning of the fourth quarter the score was now 89-82 in Konoha's favor.

Naruto had the ball and began to run down the court and noticed that he had no defender. Aomine was just standing near the base line taking deep breaths. Having no one to defend him he simply scored the layup and ran back.

He noticed that immediately the team passed to Aomine who with amazing speed crossed the court and scored a layup.

"Looks like the kid is in the zone Naruto." Says Kisame as he dribbles forward; the team walking down the court. "What should we do?"

Naruto goes over to Kisame and gets the ball knowing it would most likely be picked off if he threw it.

"Sasuke, you mind leaving him to me?" The boy looked as if he didn't want to but knew that Naruto had a pretty personal grudge against him. Not as much as Akashi but still, he didn't even look like he tried in middle school. That's what pissed him off. This would be good payback.

"As long as I can have the blonde one." He says referring to Kise.

"Done."

He steps forward and is immediately blocked by Aomine. The blue lightning indicating his being in the zone showing.

He gets low and sprints down the left side towards the basket. Stopping just short he pulls up for the jumper but Aomine is in position for the block.

Naruto leans his body back until he's positive the ball won't be hit and releases. As expected he was unable to block and he scored.

He immediately got on guard and followed Aomine who was faster than he'd been all game. The boy tried countless crossovers before he broke through and jumped for the dunk.

Kisame jumped up for the block but Aomine spun in midair getting around him and got the one handed dunk.

"Damn, he's getting through." Says Tobi.

"Don't worry, he can't stay in the zone forever. Believe me I have a plan." Naruto reassures his team.

They ran down the court once more and Naruto began dribbling quicker. He faked left and went right but Aomine was still on him.

"I should have known that wouldn't work. I was really saving this for later but I guess I have no choice." Naruto says.

He takes a deep breath and attacks. He fakes going straight to the left and as Aomine follows he quickly stops while crossing the ball behind his back from left to right. No one knew what happened as the all saw Touou's ace fall down. ( **Think Akashi's ankle breaker but being a behind the back type deal rather than through the legs** **I'll explain how he's able to do it later.** )

Naruto ran forward and threw the ball in the air to Nagato who caught the alley oop and scored.

Aomine not one to stand down especially now in front of a worthy opponent ran down the court and went one-on-one with Naruto once more.

He crossed through his legs and faked right before passing the ball behind his back to the left and went left. Naruto was still on him as he jumped so he shot the ball from behind the backboard.

He made it.

Konoha went on the attack once more but took a different approach. Naruto still ran forward and was somehow able to drop Aomine again. He passed to Kisame who passed to the left to Nagato, to Tobi, to Sasuke, and back to Naruto who had run around the court to the three-point line.

He got in position and jumped.

"Ahhhhhh!" he saw Aomine jump up to stop his shot. Naruto waited until he was close enough and released the ball the moment Aomine made contact with him. He shot and still was able to make it.

The whistle was blown.

 _Defensive foul on Touou #5. Basket counts, one free throw._

" _I can't believe it. He's keeping up with Aomine while he's in the zone. What's more the blonde isn't in the zone but still managed to stop him. He beat Aomine._ " Thought the Touou captain.

Naruto got in position for his shot and made the basket. There was only 20 seconds left in the 4th. It was their win. The team noticed the looks on the Touou players looks and their prediction came true.

Once the ace was taken down the rest of the team would follow. The shot clock had been deactivated. The Touou team came at them the hardest they had all night, but Konoha managed to keep them boxed it. Naruto called for the double team on Sakurai who had the ball and was trying to pass it to Aomine.

As they forced him to pass Kisame's large arms managed to pick the pass and called Naruto over to take it.

They all stayed near the back court. They didn't plan on running a final play, they just decided to let the timer run and end the game.

In a moment of feeling petty Naruto waited until the final 1.5 seconds before he released the ball from three once again and scored the last shot of the game. The buzzer sounded and Konoha got the W finishing with a score of 102-88

The crowd went crazy. Some were paying up since they had bet on Touou annihilating the new team. Those who rooted for the underdogs had a nice pay day.

Everyone on the team shook hands or fist bumped with each other before doing the same with Touou just out of good sportsmanship.

Naruto looked over and saw Aomine sitting down on the court looking defeated. The pink haired girl next to him looking a bit worried. He went over to them and stood in front of Aomine. He had beaten Aomine already, it was time to bury the hatchet.

"Yo." He says

Aomine stands up. "Yeah what is it?" He asks

Naruto sticks his fist out. "Good game out there. You're one of the few people I know that can enter the zone. Let's play again sometime." He says.

Aomine looks at the extended fist before exhaling a breath of air and smirking lightly. "Count me in. I'm not losing next time. You might as well try and go all the way since you made it passed us. I'll see you in the next game." He says bumping fists and turning around. "Let's go Satsuki."

He looks over at the pink haired girl and sees she's got tears in her eyes and looks super happy. "Thank you."

"for what?" He asks

"You made him enjoy the sport again. He finally found someone who he can go all out with and still have a challenge." She gives him a brief hug before uttering her goodbye and following Aomine.

Seeing no reason to stay any longer Naruto heads back to his team and they go back to the locker room.

"Man we played like the Cavaliers out there." Says Tobi referring to their good offense and defense.

"Man get the hell out of here with the Cavaliers Tobi. With our ball passing skill and good shots we resembled the Spurs if anyone." Says Sasuke.

"You're both wrong, we were obviously like Golden State out there. With those threes and good passes anyone would see the resemblance." Says Naruto giving his two cents.

"You were decent but you did not resemble any NBA team out there. Let alone the top teams in the league. I saw a few things that we're going to have to correct for the upcoming game." Pitches in the coach raining on their parade.

"Now get changed and let's head out. I know who our next opponent is."

 **That's the end of the chapter. I'm sorry if you guys were expecting a super close match between Aomine and Naruto but at this point Naruto is better than him. I can promise you that the match against Rakuzan will be lit. I'll also try to improve writing games out as I still have a bit of trouble. Anyways, next chapter will come a little later and in the following chapters I'll explain how Naruto was able to ankle break. Next chapter will also be a little calmer than these, as in they'll watch a game and give their thoughts and school life will pick up a little. Anyways if you have any suggestions leave them in a review or PM me. Feel free to guess who the next opponent is. Later.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Well guys the school semester is finally over, which means I have a bit of time to write. Though if I get this new job that might change but for now I'm here. Anyways now that I've given you guys this little update it's time we get on with the chapter. P.s please read the Author's note at the bottom it's important.**

The team had gotten dressed and were heading out when the sound of cheering was heard from one of the other courts they were near in the arena.

"C'mon the game is at its best right now." Says a lady rushing through with her husband.

"I know, but I still say that Yosen will beat Seirin." He replies as they head through the doors to continue watching the game.

"Hmm, I wonder how my cousin is doing." Says Neji mostly to himself but everyone heard.

"Hey coach, can we stay to watch the rest of the match? You know, scope out the competition." Says Naruto

"Fine, but everyone see me after the game back at the hotel. We need to go over a few things." He says as he goes on.

The team went in the direction that the couple had gone and found a big enough area for the team to watch the game. Nagato pointed out that the game was almost over and there is only a few minutes left on the clock.

"Looks like the red haired one is about to enter the zone." Says Sasuke looking at Kagami.

"You're right. But you can tell this one isn't as experienced as Aomine was. He had no wasted movements in his play. The red head is using too much energy trying to stop the purple haired buffoon." Says Naruto.

"Buffoon? Really?" says Tobi amused.

"Regardless of what Naruto decides to call him." Interrupts Neji "It looks like he's actually about to do something." They watch as Kagami is able to stop Murasakibara from dunking.

"He's in." They hear a voice from behind them. Looking back, they see Aomine in his casual clothing which consists of a black shirt under a dark green jacket and some brownish jeans.

"He should be able to stop Murasakibara now." He says. They watch quietly as the rest of the match unfolds.

Aomine speaks once more. "Number 12 is good." Everyone focuses their attention to that player.

"He's the one that stopped Murasakibara from fighting in the elevator." Says Tobi

"He was going to fight in an elevator?" Asks Momoi.

"Yeah, fucker said something that pissed me off and he was going to get this two piece before his friend stopped him." Says Kisame raising his fists indicating what a two piece was. Kisame was raised in the more dangerous parts of Japan, therefore his answer to problems was usually his fists.

Getting back to the game they watched as Himuro seemed to step his game up and quickly did one of the most beautiful fakes on Kuroko, Kiyoshi, and Hyuga before pulling up for a jump shot.

They see that Kagami goes to contest it and jumps right in front of him. Himuro does his signature Mirage Shot but is surprised when Kagami swats it out of the way.

"Now that I think about it, he's basically got the exact opposite play style that you have." Naruto points out to Aomine. "He's got the most orthodox play style while you don't really have a style, you're more of a street baller."

Everyone in the immediate area nods in agreement.

"I'll give number twelve this though, he's definitely creative. He shoots the ball, catches it and then reshoots it again all before hitting the ground. That's pretty damn impressive." Tobi says watching Himuro attempt another mirage shot only to be blocked once more.

Kagami takes the ball and begins running back with his team mates.

"Looks like Murasakibara is in the zone." Points out Sasuke. They had seen him run back on defense quickly and was already in position to guard.

"Kagami needs to do something. He can't stay in the zone much longer. If he doesn't score here it's over now that Murasakibara is in the zone." Aomine says

Kagami jumped from the free throw line and Murasakibara immediately jumped to contest it. They stayed in the air for what felt like forever and noticed that despite Murasakibara jumping first, he was the first to fall.

"Meteor Jam!" He shot the ball from his highest peak and make the shot, dropping Murasakibara in the process.

"Ha! Looks like you just got crushed!" Yelled Kisame and began laughing at the boy's misfortune.

The crowd went crazy over the shot and Kagami's zone ran out.

"Was it really necessary to yell out the name of the move he used?" Asked Neji shaking his head.

"No but it gives people something to talk about." Naruto commented

"Speaking of things for people to talk about look at that. The little blue one actually blocked Murasakibara's shot." Says Nagato

"He's making a run for it."

Kuroko used his vanishing shot to score the final point right at the buzzer finishing the game with a score of 72-73 with Seirin being the victor.

"Ok, I can't be the only one thinking it but that has got to be the ugliest shot I have ever seen someone use." Comments Kisame.

"Ugh, I tried to teach him how to shoot but he couldn't do it normally. That's the only way he was able to actually score." Says Aomine remembering when Kuroko asked him to teach him how to shoot.

Everyone began leaving the arena as the game had finished. The team said their goodbyes to Aomine and Momoi and began heading back to the hotel. Along the way Sasuke asked

"Hey Neji, you think we'll end up playing against your cousin?"

"Perhaps, at this point in time there's only eight teams remaining in the winter cup including us. If they continue playing the way they did from what we saw, then it's a strong possibility that we'll end up playing them in the Semi-finals."

The team stopped at the local burger joint to get some food to go as they were pretty hungry. When they got to the hotel they pressed the button for the elevator and went in when it opened. As they waited for the doors to close they noticed the Yosen team arriving, minus their hot coach.

Kisame took it upon himself to taunt them for their loss as he was still somewhat upset from the incident from earlier. He looked straight at Murasakibara, even though he knew that the whole team would see, held up four fingers, then mouthed " _Fourth quarter_ " and proceeded to make a choking gesture on his neck and began laughing when he saw how enraged the purple haired giant had become. The gesture implying that they had choked in the fourth quarter and couldn't finish the job and lost.

Thankfully the door closed right as he finished his taunt.

As much as Naruto tried, he couldn't help but snicker at his friend's antics. "Was that really necessary Kisame?"

"Nah, but I'm still a little pissed off from what happened earlier." He said still somewhat laughing.

"What if he gets even angrier and decides to come looking for you? Then you get into a fight and we get kicked out of the tournament, then coach Madara punishes us for it?" Ranted Omoi as worst case scenarios popped into his head.

"Shut up Omoi" Said Gaara not in the mood to listen to their white haired team mate.

After the entire team ate in Naruto's room they decided that they'd better head over and speak with the coach, less he makes them do even harder drills.

"Alright it doesn't take a genius to know why you're here, but if you haven't noticed by now we're going to start analyzing our next opponent." Said Madara as he started up the DVD player.

"So who are we playing against?" Asked Gaara

"Fukuda"

Sometime later after the video had stopped Madara asked, "So what did you guys think. I can find a lot to talk about."

"To state the obvious, their ace has to be the biggest asshole I've seen." Said Naruto.

"He stole the ball even from his own team mates, who does that?" Asked Sasuke.

"Not only that, but what I found ridiculous was the fact that this guys 'steals' people's moves and they can no longer use them." Says Neji.

Madara nods "I was hoping one of you would mention that, from what I saw he replicates it and changes it to fit him."

"He's not stealing anything like they said." Says Sasuke. "It's all just a mind game. He copies the technique and knows how it works, so whenever someone tries it again he knows what to do to stop it therefore making it useless. The opponents let him get into their mind and believe that they can't do it anymore."

Tobi nods his head and has an idea. "Ok, if that's the case then it shouldn't be too hard to get passed it."

"So what do you suggest Tobi?" Asks Madara, of course he already knows how to stop something like this but he wants to see what Tobi came up with.

"Well obviously that team has no team work, it's all the guy with the cornrows. I say we stick to team plays. Give and go's, alley oops, dunks, and regular individual shots. Every player knows how to do them so it wouldn't make it easier to defend."

The team was impressed with Tobi's plan. He's usually quiet and does work on the court but it's nice to see him also strategize with the team.

"Good. I was thinking the same thing." Praised Madara. "His team mates don't have the same ability he does to copy things so we won't have to worry about them copying our plays as well. Though if open I want you guys to take shots from where you're comfortable from.

Tobi, Uzumaki, if you know you'll make it, shoot from beyond the ark. Sasuke, I expect good jumpers from inside the ark, that's where your 'Tony Parker' jump shots are best." He said using air quotes when saying tony parker.

"Kisame, be ready for the alley oops and easy dunks. Nagato, you'll have a combination of jump shots, layups, and dunks. When a screen is set for you take the shots or drive in.

Omoi, Gaara, Neji, unlike last game I will be playing you in this next game, you will have the same responsibilities as the others depending on your positions. That's all for tonight, get some rest and get ready for school. The quarter finals begin tomorrow and I need you all well rested."

The team left to their respective rooms. Inside Naruto was laying down on his bed as were everyone else in their own. Sasuke was again on his laptop doing who knows what, Kisame was still eating some of the food he didn't finish, and Tobi was on his phone looking up new shoes.

As he was about to sleep his phone vibrated. Picking it up he noticed it was a text from an unfamiliar number.

" _Hey, I we didn't get the chance to ask you today but would you and your team like to join us at our table in lunch tomorrow?_

 _-Momoi Satsuki_

"What the hell." Naruto said loud enough for his team mates to hear him.

"What's up?" Asked Sasuke, his eyes not leaving his computer screen.

"I just got a text from that girl Momoi."

"Is she trying to get the pipe?" Asked Tobi. The guys all laughed.

"I wish, nah she wanted us to eat lunch with their team tomorrow at school."

The team didn't see a problem with it and agreed they would. They stayed up for another hour before finally going to sleep.

At school the next day Naruto and his team were in the cafeteria looking around for the Touou team.

"It shouldn't be this difficult, just look for the tallest guys in the building." Naruto complained. He then saw the distinct pink and blue hair and motioned his team to follow.

"Yo" Naruto says to the table. They all greet back and make some room.

"Not to sound rude but what are you guys doing here?" Wakamatsu asked.

"Oh, I texted them and invited them to our table." Momoi says happily.

"How did you even get their numbers? You gotta stop doing that, that's creepy." Says Aomine scarfing down his food. "Hey Sakurai, gimme some of those."

The teams got along well enough. Imayoshi and Kisame got along well enough antagonizing the students around them while Neji tried to stop them.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Aomine seemed to get along just fine talking about the NBA. Meanwhile, Gaara was trying his hardest to not murder Omoi and Sakurai for their nonstop rambling.

"Now that I think about it, there's only eight teams left." Began Imayoshi "You guys know who you'll be playing against?"

Sasuke took it upon himself to reply "We're playing against Fukuda."

"Oh so you're going up against Haizaki." Aomine drawled out. Seeing the blank faces, he spoke once more "the one with the cornrows."

"Oh yeah, we're not too worried about him though." Said Tobi.

"Aren't you guys afraid that he'll steal your moves though? He's known to do that since middle school." Momoi pitches in

"We've already got that covered. He won't be stealing anything. After that we'll be one step closer to the Finals." Nagato said

"Speaking of the Finals, I'm almost positive Rakuzan will be in it." Aomine says

Naruto narrows his eyes "What makes you say that?"

"He's never lost before. That and his team has three of the five uncrowned kings, that makes beating them even harder."

"Who are the 'uncrowned kings'?" Tobi asks

"Hanamiya Makoto from Kirisaki Daichi, Kiyoshi Teppei from Seirin, Mebuchi Reo, Hayama Kotaro, and Nebuya Eikichi all three from Rakuzan." Answers Momoi looking at her little book.

"Nebuya you say? I've been wanting to face him for a while now." Says Kisame

"Either way unless you guys have something up your sleeves it's gonna be difficult to beat them."

Naruto scoffs "Don't worry about that. Just make sure you go to the game and watch as we break down their defense inch by inch before completely breaking them."

"Pretty bold statement, hope you can back that up." Imayoshi says with his signature smile.

The rest of the school day was as boring as the last but finally it was time to go to the hotel and get ready for the game which was in about two hours. Plenty of time to prepare.

While everyone was mentally preparing Naruto looked at his all black curry 2 (not the new lows) and saw they were pretty beat up. " _I should go buy some new ones. I have some time I'll be back before we leave._ " He thinks to himself.

"Yo. I'm going out really quick to buy some new shoes anyone want to go?" He called out. None of them wanted to go, they were all content with relaxing while they got the chance.

He quickly looked up the nearest shoe store and headed out. When he arrived at Dr. Jordan ( **It's an actual store in the Anime** ) he saw that two members from Seirin were also there.

He got next to them to see the selection of shoes they had available. They had everything from Nike to Jordan, he even saw some Fila's in there.

He saw some original Chicago air Jordan 1's. Picking them up he saw that the display was his size and tried it on. He felt like mike. One of the female workers approached him.

"Are you finding everything all right?" She asked him. She seemed to be in her mid-twenties and looked like one of those workers that doesn't mind being there. Those were hard to find these days.

"Yeah, I like these, let me just check the price." When he looked under the shoe his eyes nearly popped out of his head. "円51100?! ( **roughly $500** ) on second thought I don't really like them that much." He told her putting them back.

His eyes then saw a pair of Jordan 1's black, green, and white colorway. It was perfect for his uniform and only cost about $120. Picking them up and trying them on he told her, "Now this is what I'm talking about. I'll take these."

Along the way home he was still shaking his head at the ridiculous price of those other shoes. That much for shoes should be a crime. When he finally made it to the hotel he saw everyone was already changing. Not wanting to be left behind he laced up and prepared for the game.

When they arrived at the arena once more he was surprised that it was actually full this time. Madara must have picked up on this "They must have heard about the Touou game from those who saw it and are now interested in seeing what we can do. If didn't already know we have the first match of the day.

Normally multiple matches occur at once but since we're down to a couple of teams they're doing it differently. Look around even most of the teams both eliminated and still competing are here."

The team looked around and the coach was right. They spotted Seirin, Touou, Yosen, Shutoku, Kirisaki Daichi, Kaijo, even Rakuzan.

"Enough looking around, you know what our game plan is. Warm up for now." The coach ordered.

Naruto grabbed a ball and went from three feet beyond the three-point line and splashed the shot. He motioned Sasuke to pass another one and repeated the shot six times making all six.

He went near Sasuke and lightly guarded him letting him practice driving before stopping for his jump shot.

Tobi was taking shots from different parts of the court as well, making most of them without so much as touching the rim.

Kisame was doing layups and light dunks from underneath the rim. The rest were practicing their handles with multiple basketballs. After ten minutes the whistle way blown and everybody bowed before taking their spots on the court.

Konoha Gakuen Vs Fukuda of the Semi-finals was underway.

 **As I said last chapter not much happened here besides small interactions with the players. Next chapter the semi-finals begin and they take on Haizaki's team. In case any of you were wondering after the winter cup I plan to go through the events of 'Extra Game' if you haven't read it I recommend you do so to not get spoiled. Since that's where it ends in the manga I will be continuing with a new arc in which they attend an international tournament in America. Tell me what you guys think of that? Good? Bad? Let me know. Anyways as always If you have suggestions of comments leave them in a review or PM me. Later.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey sorry for the very late update on this story but I didn't have too much motivation to write it. However, with the NBA season rapidly approaching I got my muse and decided to get back to it. I just want to say that I'm not sure how anyone will stop the warriors this season with the lineup they have. Now with Kevin Durant, they've become a super team. KD's getting his ring this time around. Let me know who you're rooting for. Also in the previous chapter I said Semifinals when it's the quarter finals in this game. Anyways with that out of the way let's get on with the next chapter.**

"So Shin-Chan what do you think is gonna happen in this game?" Takao asked his green haired teammate excitedly. Before he could reply Takao continued. "I'm surprised that this team is this strong and no one had heard of them before this."

Midorima hadn't answered yet as he had his eyes locked on Naruto as he sank three after three. He noted that he had a very fast release, almost as fast as his. Though what impressed him was that Naruto would move around before shooting as well. He had him beat in that regard.

"If I were a betting man I would put my money on Konoha." He answers pushing up his glasses with his left hand. "Everyone on that team is talented, Fukuda has won this much because of Haizaki. However, against this team Haizaki's pillaging ability won't be affective against this team." He finished.

The captain of Shutoku, Miyaji, pitched in the conversation. "Why not?" He asked

"Haizaki can only pillage the moves of one player at a time. Konoha has shown that they have great teamwork as we've seen."

"Meaning that they'll go for team plays to stop Haizaki." Said their coach. It was a smart idea, take away their ace's ability and it was an easy win.

While his team continued talking about the outcome of the game Midorima was thinking something else. " _How did he do it? How does someone get this strong in such little time?_ " He wondered as he saw another three being drained from near half court.

On the other side of the arena a similar conversation was taking place. This is no surprise as following the victory against Touou, this new team became the main topic of conversation.

"Hey Akashi, you haven't said much since Konoha's last game." Said the energetic Kotaro Hayama. "You're not worried, are you?"

"Oh course he's not." Interrupted Nebuya. "None of us are. We're the strongest ones here, they may be strong but not enough to compete with us." He said arrogantly while flexing his right bicep.

Before Akashi could answer another teammate joined the conversation. "Don't be so arrogant Nebuya. Take a look at the blond one down there." He says "Look how easily he's draining three pointers, he's easily 29ft away and makes them effortlessly. Apart from him, the black haired one is making jump shots with guards on him like it's nothing.

If anything, they're the only real competition for us." He finishes.

"Mibuchi is correct. It would take more than a little skill to keep Touou in check the way they did." Akashi finally responded. "Their captain managed to stop Daiki while he was in the zone while still in his base state."

His heterochromatic eyes locked on to the Konoha players and watched as they practiced. His eye was drawn to two people. Naruto and Sasuke.

Those were the most dangerous on that team. Mostly the blonde for one reason. " _How was he able to copy my ankle break? Could he also have an Emperor Eye?_ " Akashi thought to himself.

"It's more crowded than I anticipated." Complained Riko, the coach of Seirin as she struggled getting through people in order to take a seat with her team.

"It was expected." Said Teppei as he took a seat. "After defeating Touou everyone became curious of them. Even we didn't really think that they would be able to school Touou like they did."

"True." She admitted as she watched them practice. One player caught her eye, a long brown haired player to be precise.

"Hey Hyuga, isn't that your cousin?" She asked pointing towards Neji who was in midair taking a jump shot.

"Yeah that's him. I don't see him too often. I didn't even know he liked basketball, he never spoke about it or gave any indication that he played." They saw him do a quick crossover step back jumper and swish perfectly.

"That was a nice shot." Said Kuroko from between them, effectively making them jump and try and restart their hearts.

"We know they're strong." Began the red-haired ace of the team. "Their presence in this tournament makes it that much more exciting." He says making a fist.

"Quiet, it's starting." Riko says as the whistle blows and the players get into formation.

Once more Kisame was doing the jump for first possession of the rock against Kazuhiro Mochizuki. The bald-headed player was glaring at Haizaki before getting into focus, no doubt the asshole said something to piss off his teammates again.

The ref threw the ball high in the air and both players jumped the moment the ball hit the peak of its throw. Kisame's superior hop won in the end and Konoha got first possession. It was Tobi who got the ball first and began down the court. He dribbled through the legs once getting a feel for his defender's defense.

He cut to the right and bounce passed the ball straight through a small gap between his defender and his teammate Hideki Ishida who had been trying to guard Naruto.

Naruto got the ball and pump faked allowing both Tobi's defender who had ran as soon as he saw the pass, and Ishida to jump believing he was going to lay it up and quickly passed it to Tobi who had ran to the three-point line.

Having no one to guard him it was an easy shot to make. Konoha had the first points of the game.

Fukuda quickly inbounded the ball and went straight to Haizaki. Nagato was the one to guard him first. Haizaki dribbled to the left and drove forward to the bucket. Nagato attempted to block but he didn't expect a double clutch.

Kisame inbounded the ball to Naruto who put up three fingers. The team knew what that meant and got into their respective positions. Haizaki quickly came up to him and had his arms spread wide, a mad smirk on his face.

Not bothered at all by the black-haired player Naruto faked to the right before bouncing the ball behind his back and only taking two steps forward to the left before doing a step back. He stopped just short of the three-point line and managed to make it with little effort. They all saw Haizaki with a calculating look in his eye as they ran back.

Now was the time for the real play number three to begin.

As expected Haizaki once more had the ball. Naruto shot Kisame and Sasuke a quick look and they knew what to do. Kisame guarded Haizaki, which confused Fukuda's center because now he was wide open being considerably taller than Tobi.

Haizaki faked to the right before bouncing the ball behind his back and also taking two steps back and taking the shot, just as Naruto had done on him. What no one expected was for Naruto and Sasuke to ditch their marks and began running the opposite direction without the ball. Only the bald player decided to chase after them, knowing something was up.

The moment Haizaki took the shot it was too late as Kisame was already in the air waiting for the ball. His large hand caught it in midair, shocking the teen that his pillaged technique hadn't worked.

Quickly he lobbed the ball to Sasuke who was running on the right side of the court with Mochizuki on him.

He threw it over his head to the left where Naruto was running parallel to him. The blond caught the ball and lobbed it towards the right of the basket where Sasuke jumped up for the one-handed dunk. Mochizuki knew that he wouldn't stop it so he slowed down.

The crowd exploded in cheers as they were hyped on the alley oop. The actual players in the stands were shocked that he could dunk considering he was less than six feet tall.

The two quickly exchanged a high five before running back and patting Kisame's back quickly and getting into position.

"heh, kid looks pissed." Kisame noted about Haizaki. True enough he was frowning as he came back with the ball. Sasuke shook his head and got on defense.

Haizaki tried multiple different crossovers but Sasuke was right on him. The shot clock was winding down and a 'Hey' was heard from the left. Ishida was calling for the ball but rather than pass Haizaki decided to try and drive in anyways. Or at least he would have, had Tobi not come up from behind and smacked the ball out of his hands.

Sasuke, being the closest to the ball grabbed it and ran. He stopped right at the center of the three-point line and faked. Ishida jumped and at that moment Sasuke passed to his right to Naruto who threw a bounce pass to the Key where Kisame got an easy layup.

Fukuda got possession but this time the captain had the ball. He dribbled down the court and was going one on one with Nagato. He faked to the left and crossed to his right before driving to the hoop. He jumped and took the shot. Nagato got a piece of it but it wasn't enough to completely throw it off course.

The ball back in their court Naruto threw it to Nagato and held up a fist. They knew what it meant. Nagato drove to the key and jumped for a layup but passed at the last moment to Sasuke who was to his right below him. From there he passed to Kisame and formed a screen when he saw a defender about to chase Nagato down.

That created enough of a gap for Kisame to toss the ball back to Nagato who made a 13ft jumper.

"Alright, let's get on defense. Let's finish the quarter strong." Ordered Naruto as they ran back. With only one minute in the quarter left Fukuda came at them aggressive. Or at least Haizaki did, not liking that his ability wasn't working.

He drove to the basket completely ignoring his teammates and attempted a dunk, but was denied as Kisame had left his own defender and chased him down from behind. ( **Think Lebron chase down block** )

Nagato got the ball and threw it to Sasuke. The boy did a spin move through Ishida and no look passed back left to Naruto who was in his sweet spot behind the three-point line. Wasting little time, he took the shot and sunk it.

There was twenty-nine seconds on the clock left as Mochizuki ran up the court and passed it to one of his teammates. He ran with the ball and got as close as he could to the hoop before doing a fade away jumper to not get blocked by Nagato. He made it.

When Konoha got the ball once more there was only thirteen seconds on the clock left so the shot clock was deactivated. They calmly walked up the court and allowed the timer to run down. At three seconds Naruto passed it to Sasuke who took a mid-range jumper and made it off of the glass as the buzzer rang.

At the end of the first quarter Konoha led the game 18-6.

"They're really beating Fukuda down huh Dai-Chan? I've never seen Haizaki get shut down like this." Momoi said from the stands where she was seated with the rest of the Touou team.

"I'm not surprised." The blue haired ace says with a bored look on his face.

"You're not?" She asks.

"Of course he's not." Says Imayoshi "Even Aomine can see what Konoha is doing. They're using team based plays to stop Haizaki from stealing moves. He can't steal team plays because his team's ability to work together is virtually nonexistent." He explains.

"But didn't he try to steal a move and failed?" Asked Sakurai meekly.

"He did, however, I'm going to say that his team had counted on it. When he took his shot their center had already jumped to block it knowing exactly what Haizaki would do." Explained Imayoshi as he watched the two teams regroup. Fukuda was yelling at each other while Konoha was on their bench drinking their Gatorade while the coach was writing something on his clipboard.

"You're doing excellent work out there. You've kept Haizaki at bay and they're beginning to fight amongst themselves, this will work well to our advantage. Uzumaki, Tobi, and Uchiha, you'll be sitting out for the next two quarters and if needed will close out the game. We're getting closer to the finals and we'll need rest.

Hoshigaki and Nagato try and focus on dunks and short jumpers. There's no point in going all out if we can do it easily without showing too much. Just follow the basic game plan and hold Haizaki down and we'll be fine. Omoi, Gaara, and Hyuga, you're up."

The buzzer went off signifying the start of the second quarter. The spectators in the stands were wondering why Naruto, Sasuke, and Tobi were out but the excitement didn't die. Fukuda started with possession and they looked pissed. Clearly not being used to losing like this.

Neji got on Ishida and wouldn't let him through. He continually moved his hands rapidly as to obstruct the view so he couldn't get a pass through. Just because Haizaki didn't pass didn't mean they didn't.

However, they were convinced that these new substitutes would be different from the ones before and once more tried to drive straight through the defense. In the end Neji was able to pick the ball out of his hands as he attempted to move forward and ran.

He quickly bounce passed the ball over to Omoi who got it before it could be intercepted by his defender and went in for the layup.

Fukuda got on the offensive once more and Ishida passed to Mochizuki who had just ran off from Omoi. Having seen this before in one of their closer games they analyzed, Gaara knew they would try and pass now and intercepted the pass before it could reach its destination.

He ran down the court and dunked it in. It wasn't a monster dunk since his hand was barely able to go above the rim but it got the job done.

The only difference between the second and third quarter compared to the first was that there was much more scoring this time. On both sides.

Konoha had managed to drop 45 with combinations of three pointers, precision passes, steals, and well timed alley oops. Fukuda wasn't that lucky, they only managed a low 16 more points.

For the final quarter Naruto, Sasuke, and Tobi were all put back into the game for one reason. To send a message. At this point in time even if Haizaki managed to 'steal' their moves, it wouldn't be enough to win.

With the big three back in everyone knew it was guaranteed victory. When the fourth quarter started, Naruto got the ball and ran down the court. He stopped and shot from three and banked it in and headed back.

The crowd erupted in cheer. The cheers got louder when they saw Sasuke cross Ishida and run under the hood and do a reverse layup similar to Julius Irving.

Tobi was putting in work from the wings of the court making it rain like lil Wayne. They allowed Fukuda some points but in the end, it didn't save them from being eliminated. In the fourth quarter, they dropped another thirty. The final score 93-37. Their lack of teamwork and lack of ace is what killed them.

Naruto and Sasuke ended the game with 23pts and 20pts respectively.

After the game the team headed to the locker rooms and along the way were congratulated by many people who had shown up to watch the game. Many complimented their teamwork, some complimented Naruto and Tobi's shooting skill, and some liked Kisame's dunks.

What was most surprising was the interviewers waiting for them once they came out of their locker room. Apparently, those who had made it into the Semifinals were being interviewed for a magazine covering the tournament.

"Konoha!" One man yelled as he and his team approached. The team looked at the coach who nodded and crossed his arms as they approached.

"First let me say great game out there, that had to be the most impressive display of teamwork we've seen so far. Now, how does it feel knowing that you're that much closer to the finals?" He asked putting the microphone in Naruto's face.

Backing up a little he replied, "It feels good but the job's not done yet, we can't start letting our guard down until we're raising that trophy above our heads." Nodding in agreement he spoke once more.

"We have not doubt that with the way you guys shoot you'll be raising that trophy in no time. Speaking of shooting, you're also ridiculously good at shooting threes how do you do it?" he now asked Tobi.

"Uhh, I just lift my arms, aim at the basket and let the ball go." He answered not being comfortable doing an interview. His team mates laughed at the smartass response.

"Right." The interviewer said moving onto Kisame. "You had ten points in today's game. Most came from your seemingly unstoppable dunks, how is it that you managed to break through all of their defenses in order to go to the basket like that."

"Easy, I was just stronger than they were." He replied quickly flexing.

"Finally, we have time for one more question. In the Touou game we saw you drop Aomine Daiki using the same technique, albeit a bit differently, as the captain of Rakuzan, the defending champions. Do you also have an 'Emperor's eye?'" The man asked. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he took hold of the mic.

"I do not need a special eye in order to do what I do. What I have comes from hard work and dedication, anyone who resorts to a special eye to win for them is weak. Should we meet Rakuzan in the Finals I'll demonstrate that this 'Emperor's eye' can't stop us. Even if it can see us coming." With that the team turned and left without another word. Though Madara had a smirk on his face as he heard his team's ace officially challenge Rakuzan.

As they headed home Naruto decided that he was going to stop by a convenience store and get some snacks. He asked them if they wanted something and after writing it down on his phone he was on his way.

Once he was out of the store he was looking down at his phone and was too late to realize that he was walking into somebody. He was about to apologize when he noticed the orange clothing with the name 'Shutoku' on the front.

Looking up he saw it was their green haired shooting guard, Midorima Shintaro. He narrowed his eyes briefly as he was reminded of that embarrassment he had to endure at their hands. He was about to speak when the boy raised a wrapped hand.

"I'm sorry." Seeing Naruto raise an eyebrow he elaborated. "I remember you from middle school, Akashi said some things to you and I stood there and said nothing as he broke you down. For that I'm sorry." He said even bowing a little bit. Naruto wasn't expecting this, the guy was actually sincere with his apology.

" _Looks like this one isn't too bad._ " He thought to himself.

"Don't worry about it, you didn't do anything directly so I don't hold anything against you. The same can't be said for Akashi though." He answered.

He pushed his glasses up and replied. "I figured, I heard the last part of your interview and Akashi will not take that sitting down." He warned.

"Good, I want him to put up a challenge. If I'm not mistaken, you play against him next don't you."

"We do, you might end up having to face us in the finals." He says with confidence.

" _So he's got some sort of plan_ "

"If we do than it's for the best since you'd be a superior team." He said. At that moment, an idea sprang to life in his head that could give his team an edge. "But just in case, let me ask you. What do you know about the 'Zone'?"

Later that night in the hotel room the team was just kicking back in their respective rooms preparing for the next day. They were going to watch Seirin and Kaijo go at it and they play winner. The coach wanted them to see video's and highlights of past games they played so that they would have an idea of what to go against.

As they watched the videos Naruto had one thought on his mind and that was that the Finals couldn't come quickly enough.

 **So, I'm done right there. A quick game but I wanted to demonstrate how without his pillaging ability Haizaki and by default Fukuda doesn't really have much. Also, I've mended things between Naruto and Midorima. Naruto and team will get along with Aomine and Midorima but he won't be making friends with Kise or Murasakibara. Akashi I'm not too sure. Anyways I hope you guys enjoyed the update. As always if you have any suggestions leave them in a review or PM me. Later.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Damn, it took forever for me to update this story, and for that I'm sorry. I recently saw a clip of Kuroko no basket that got me hyped and I got right back to writing this. Hopefully, it doesn't take me as long to get the next chapter out. Anyways, that's enough of that I know you guys been waiting so here it is.**

The following day at school Naruto was sitting in class waiting for the day to end already. He was spinning his pencil in hand looking bored when he heard the seat next to him make a sound. Looking over he was met with Momoi.

"Hey" She greeted happily.

"Yo, hey do you know where Shutoku is? Or if it's far from here?" He asked. The girl tilted her head slightly in confusion, most likely wondering why he wanted to know.

"Yeah, it's not too far from here. You take the Ginza line down three stops and walk down the main road for like ten minutes. After you pass the old ramen stand it'll be on the right hand side just a few minutes later." She says. "If it's not a problem can I know why you want to know?"

"It's fine. I need to talk to Midorima about something." He says clearly shocking her if the widening of her eyes were any indication.

"You know Midorin?" She asks.

"Yeah somewhat, I was talking to him after our game with Fukuda." She nods having been at that game.

"That was a good strategy you guys used, you really shut them down negating Haizaki's ability through team play." She compliments.

"Thanks, it was pretty simple if one were to really look at it. Their teamwork was virtually nonexistent. It wasn't like they could copy team plays so picking them apart was a breeze." He comments.

Anything they would've said remained unsaid as the teacher walked in at that moment and began class. At the end of class Momoi had to leave and he was stuck there waiting for the rest of the day to pass.

After what felt like an eternity the school day did eventually come to an end. Pulling out his phone he texts Sasuke letting him know that he's got something to do and he'll meet up with them later at the hotel.

Grabbing his stuff he follows the directions Momoi gave him and she was right, it only took about twenty five minutes to get to the school. He knew he was at the right spot as plenty of students wearing the Shutoku uniform passed by him, most staring at him due to the uniform he was wearing.

As he approached the front of the school he was stopped by one of the teachers who was passing by. Noticing his different uniform she asks, "Do you need something young man?"

"Yes, I have a meeting with the headmaster about a possible transfer, this was the only time in the day he told me he was free." He lied smoothly.

"Very well, I'd escort you but I'm already running a bit late to monitor club activities. I assume you know where it is?" She asks. A nod is her answer, she accepts and heads on.

" _Huh, that was easier than I thought. I didn't think she'd just believe me, no questions asked. Oh well, not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth._ " He thinks and continues walking into the school looking for the gym. " _Should've asked Momoi where the gym was too."_

He wandered around for a good minute before hearing the familiar sounds of shoes squeaking and balls bouncing. Knowing he was at the right place he walked in hands in his pockets as everyone in the gym turned to look at him.

Everyone in the gym knew who he was so they all had one question in mind. " _What's he doing here?_ "

Ignoring them he walked over to the green haired shooting guard and watched as he shot a three. Coughing to get his attention he turned around, as he did so the ball swished in the net behind him. It was actually pretty cool.

Walking over to him Midorima pushes up his glasses and checks the clock hanging above the door.

"We have about an hour before practice ends. We have the game today."

"Should be plenty of time." Naruto responds "I thought only one team played today. Seirin."

"Originally yes, but there was an issue and our game with Rakuzan got moved up to today. We play before Seirin." He answers. Turning to the coach Midorima says "Coach, I'm going to use one of my selfish requests for the hour."

Shaking his head the coach responded, "Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but since we have an important game today I'm afraid I can't allow it."

Not one to be deterred he responded. "This could give us the edge in today's game." The coach looked at him, then to Naruto before him again. The look in the shooting guards eyes spoke volumes.

He gave a nod of agreement. Turning to Naruto, Midorima picks up a ball and hands it to him before getting one for himself. "Follow me."

The two left the gym and walked across the school before coming to another big building. Looks like it hasn't been used in a while. Opening the door the lights turned on revealing another basketball court, though this one was not as glamorous as the other one.

"This was the previous basketball court used by the team before the school got remodeled. It would have cost more money to tear it down so they just kept it." He said having seen Naruto looking around.

"It'll do." Naruto responds and he bounces the ball a couple times. He unbuttoned his school shirt leaving him in his black undershirt. He shoots and scores from a short distance. Turning over to Midorima he says, "Don't pass the three point line. Make a shot with me defending you."

Getting in position Midorima stays in his spot, dribbling slowly waiting for the right opportunity.

Right as he got in form and jumped the ball had already been stripped from his hands. Naruto bounces the ball back to him. "Again." He orders as he widens his arms not giving an inch of space.

This happened four more times with the same result. Midorima had tried to sidestep and shoot but was met with the same thing. Naruto would just swat the ball out of his hands before he got up in the air or he would stop it in mid air.

Midorima was getting frustrated, this must be what Kagami felt like when he went one on one with him.

" _Wait. This is exactly the same. He knows I'm going to shoot a three and can just react fast enough when I get into shooting form. I got it."_ Sidestepping to the left he gets in motion but pump fakes this time.

Same result. This was becoming irritating now.

"You're on the right track" Naruto speaks up "But you haven't understood what you have to do just yet. At this rate the little pipsqueak will just knock the ball from you every time he's near you."

Midorima stopped and remembered watching Naruto play from one of the videos he saw. Hoping to get an idea what the blond was talking about. He remembers seeing the clip of him getting through three defenders, all taller than him and still making a three pointer.

He didn't just stand around waiting for a shot, he created it. Then he remembered what he told him about the 'Zone' after his game against Fukuda. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Opening his eyes Naruto saw the green streaks of lightning that seemed to leave a trail every time he moved.

Naruto smirked "That's it, show me what you can do." He said as he prepared once more.

Later that day

Naruto and his team had made it back to Tokyo Gymnasium and found their seats. His team had asked what he had gone to do. He let them know he was helping them gain some intel on their opponent for the finals.

It didn't take to long before both teams were on the court.

The ball was thrown high into the air and Shutoku managed to get first possession. Takao passed the ball to Midorima.

Getting into shooting position Midorima says "Everything you say is right? Don't make me laugh Akashi. Someone who's only seen victory shouldn't talk like they know it all." Shooting the ball high into the air with his signature high arc he makes the first basket of the match. A three pointer, nothing but net.

"Bring it on Akashi, I'll teach you like I promised, about defeat."

"Oh?" is all Akashi says.

Shutoku continued this pattern. Get the ball pass to Midorima, who would proceed to shoot a high arc three. Though Rakuzan also managed to get some points in.

At the moment Akashi is in possession of the ball with Takao guarding him. Takao seems to be a bit more on guard than usual. Akashi is just looking at him with piercing eyes while dribbling the ball with his right hand, not yet moving from his spot.

Suddenly Akashi goes right, Takao still on him as he's moving. Akashi brings it back and does a hook pass to the right giving the all to Nebuya who lay ups it in.

 _[BUZZ]_

The buzzer announced the end of the first quarter with the score being 16-16, tie.

"Not bad so far." Comments Sasuke analyzing everything he's seeing. "Had this been any team other than Rakuzan Shutoku would've been far ahead by now." He adds.

"He's got one hell of a three point shot too." Says Tobi. "Good release" Being a fellow shooting guard he noticed the minor details others seemed to overlook.

"Things should be getting a bit more action packed from here though, right now they're just feeling each other out." Says Nagato. Throughout the conversation Naruto stayed quiet knowing the best had yet to come.

The second quarter began with Mayuzumi Chihiro and Mibuchi double teaming Midorima. Takao notes that they're defending pretty hard not giving Midorima much room to move. "Then again I shouldn't be too surprised, Rakuzan isn't the strongest high school for no reason." He thinks to himself. Seeing that passing the ball to Miyaji is the best course of action he does so.

Miyaji is being guarded by Kotaro whose eyes are shining with anticipation at the thought of a one-on-one. Miyaji passes by him then tosses the ball to Ootsubo who dunks the ball in.

Now Rakuzan is in possession of the ball, Kotaro dribbles up the court and is up against Miyaji once again. Though this time he has to make sure he gets through, less Akashi sub him out for not being up to the task.

"I guess three will be enough" Says Kotaro.

He starts dribbling with only three fingers touching the ball, but the force he's using to dribble is so hard that every time the ball hits the ground it makes a sound loud enough for everyone in the arena to hear it.

Faster than Miyaji can keep up with both the ball and Kotaro are passed him and made a layup. This pattern happened over and over for the next few minutes. Kotaro would dribble right passed Miyaji and layup, or on occasion if he was being blocked, he would double clutch.

At the moment Takao has the ball and he can't help but notice a few things. First it seems that Ootsubo is having trouble with Nebuya, and Midorima is still being guarded by two people.

"You know, everyone other than you on your team is a burden. Sorry to say." Says Mibuchi

"What?" Asks Midorima with narrowed eyes

"It's true that our double team barely has you in check, but the other four members of your team are average at best. Especially him." Mibuchi says nodding his head towards Miyaji who's being guarded once again by Kotaro. "I wonder how long he'll last against Kotaro."

During the time that Takao took to make his analysis Akashi speared the ball right out of his hands and passed it to Kotaro who once again had to go up against Miyaji. The outcome was the same, he crosses passed him and runs towards the net. As he's in the air about to make the layup the ball is swatted out of his hands by Midorima.

Midorima gets the ball and as he's heading towards the basket he's guarded by Chihiro, though it's little use. He does a spin move and gets passed. Mibuchi is next, he gets through by having Kimura set a screen behind him so he can get through.

"Someone on this team being a burden? I know none of that." He says before pump faking making Nebuya jump and passing to Miyaji who scores with an epic dunk.

Looking back at the court everyone sees Midorima shoot a high projectile three from a little more than half court.

 _[BUZZ]_

The sound of the buzzer indicated the end of the second quarter.

"So what do you guys think so far?" Asks Neji.

"Midorima is passing more. He's trusting his teammates rather than continuing to shoot threes, mostly because of the double team put on him but still. He's behaving like one of us." Naruto comments.

"I'm sure Rakuzan noticed that their double team isn't really working." Began Sasuke "I'll bet they'll put Akashi on Midorima right here in the third quarter."

"I wouldn't doubt it." Nagato says "It's becoming too close for them, hearing them try to get into Shutoku's ace's head is proof of that."

They weren't the only ones who noticed this as on the other side of the bleachers Kuroko as well as the other members of the Generation of miracles noticed the change in their green haired friend.

The third quarter began with Midorima having the ball, and as predicted Akashi is now guarding him.

Midorima goes for a three pointer right away, but the ball is smacked out of his hands before he even jumped. By the time he realized that he no longer had the ball it was too late. Akashi had the ball and was running down the court and was soon guarded by Takao.

"I won't let you get through." Says Takao

"Get through? No need for that. You will move." States Akashi. He moves forward and just as Takao reacts, Akashi cuts the ball back through his legs and down goes Takao. "I don't allow anyone who opposes me to look down on me" he once again states. He doesn't move from his position and shoots the ball which goes right in. "Lower your head."

"That's what kept doing me in last time. Too bad for you that ankle breaker won't help you this time Akashi." Thought Naruto from the bleachers.

The third quarter went by fast and Shutoku was now trailing behind by fourteen points.

During the fourth quarter Midorima once again has the ball and is being guarded by Akashi. He sees Kimura come up next to Akashi and set the screen. As he runs Akashi just spins around the screen as if it weren't even there in the first place.

"Hey!" yells Takao from besides him signaling he was open. Midorima fakes a pass before getting into position to shoot, but it's for nothing as Akashi stole the ball.

As Akashi is running he's guarded by Kimura and Miyaji. "We're not letting you through!" Says Miyaji.

Akashi responds by saying "You will move aside."

"Like we'd ever say 'sure go ahead.'"

Right after this statement was said by Kimura people could hear laughing coming from Kisame who found that to be hilarious.

"Don't get to cocky first year boy."

This time Akashi doesn't verbally respond and proceeds to cross the ball multiple times until both defenders are on the ground.

"No. My orders are absolute." He says walking right by the fallen Shutoku players. He proceeds to jump for a layup but Ootsubo is also in the air ready to block. Though Akashi doesn't look phased, he puts the ball behind his back and with his left elbow passed the ball to Nebuya.

"Nice Pass!" he yells before dunking the ball hard.

The ball now in Takao's hands, frustrated by the fact that Midorima is being heavily guarded he decides to run up court and score himself. As he's in the air going for a layup the ball is blocked by Mibuchi.

He passes the ball to Akashi who was already running towards the basket. There he is face to face with Midorima once again. "Shintaro you are strong, but you will lose. Who do you think had the Generation of Miracles subservient?" he says before doing his ankle breaker. "Even for you four it's impossible to stand against me." He says before walking passed him and scoring.

The score is now 71-51 in Rakuzan's favor.

"Let's show them our trump card." Everyone hears Midorima tell Takao as the man helps him stand.

Takao has the ball but he's not doing anything, he's just dribbling there while the shot clock is counting down.

" _What are they doing?_ " Naruto thinks to himself.

Once the shot clock hits three seconds Midorima starts to get into shooting position and even jumps without the ball in his hands. Takao immediately passes the ball perfectly to Midorima's hands who proceeds to shoot his high projectile three.

"Well damn." Says Naruto out loud, his team mates having similar thoughts.

Rakuzan seems to be shaken up over this since they make more mistakes. Kotaro misses a shot and Ootsubo is quickly in the air to get the rebound. He passes to Takao who at this point is already running, he comes across Chihiro but instead of getting through he passes high to his let where Midorima is already in the air and hits another three.

The crowd goes wild over this.

For the next two minutes Shutoku appears to make a comeback, they get steals and rebounds which all end the same way, with… you guessed it, three pointers. Though with all this going on there is something to be noticed, Akashi doesn't seem to be phased. This was worrying.

Akashi gets the ball and breaks Midorima's ankles before going for a layup, but he's shocked to see Midorima already up and about to block him, quickly he passes back to Nebuya who goes for a dunk, only to be blocked by Ootsubo.

"Damn, Midorima recovered from that fast, if it weren't for that eye of his Akashi would've been swatted right out of the air." Says Tobi.

Rakuzan is feeling the pressure and it shows since they let Midorima score yet another three pointer, making that four in a row.

Takao and Midorima set up a double team on Akashi who simply smirks before turning around and scoring on his own team. The crowd is stunned.

"When did I tell you to relax?" Akashi goes off on his team mates "If we lose, you can blame me since the reason we lost would be that shot, and I'll gauge my own eye balls out to repent for my sins." He says with a crazy look.

Rakuzan's players all have a different look to them now.

"Man this kid's got major problems." Says Kisame voicing the thoughts of everyone in the arena.

Akashi has the ball and passes to Mibuchi, he pump fakes and passes the ball to Kotaro who lays it in. It seems Akashi's little speech did work pretty well.

"It is unfortunate, but this game is over. You will no longer even touch the ball." Says Akashi to Midorima.

Shutoku has the ball once again, but this time it isn't Midorima who is double teamed, now it's Takao. It looks bad but he's able to get through and once again passes the ball to an air born Midorima who shoots a three… or rather, that's what was supposed to happen.

Instead Akashi intercepted the ball before running back and scoring for his team. Akashi goes on to explain to everyone how he was able to stop their seemingly unstoppable shot. He had been moving slower since the beginning of the game.

Mibuchi who now has the ball pump fakes Takao before shooting from the three point line, intentionally drawing a foul making it a four point play opportunity. He makes the three and makes the free throw.

From that moment on the game went south for Shutoku. Miyaji once again was beaten by Kotaro's lightning dribble, Ootsubo was over powered by Nebuya, and Akashi would continue to score with no problem.

"Time out" Called Midorima shocking his team. They hadn't agreed on using a timeout. They had three minutes left, they didn't want to use their remaining timeouts yet.

" _Time out, Shutoku. One hundred seconds_ " the ref called. The team gathered at the bench and the coach spoke.

"Midormia, why did you call the timeout?" he asked.

"Everyone is slowly losing their fighting spirit. We're down 14 with three minutes to play. Akashi has made it clear that our trump card isn't going to work anymore." He states.

"We know that Shin-chan." Takao says. "That was our trump card what can we do now?" He asks not having his usual chipper attitude.

"Pass me the ball." Midorima says.

"What good will that do?" Asks their captain. "Akashi sees everything and has stopped everything we've tried. Even yours and Takao's combo got stopped." He says dejectedly.

"That combo was the TEAM's trump card. I still have one trick left. It's the reason I used my selfish request earlier today." He says.

The team all remembered when he left with the player from Konoha.

"Well it can't hurt now. We'll put our faith in you Midorima." Says the coach.

Up in the stands one row below where Konoha was sitting was the Yosen team, minus Himuro and Murasakibara.

"Well that's it for Shutoku." Says Okamura "They're not getting through Akashi's defense."

"They put up a good fight that's for sure." Added Araki "They're the closest to bringing down the defending champions." she says.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Naruto comments from above them. Everyone turns, including his own team.

"Are you sure we're watching the same game?" Asks Wei Liu, the chinese player from Yosen. "Shutoku is being beaten down both in score and Morale. They can't get back up from that, especially with the little time remaining." He adds.

"Let's just say Midorima will probably start taking it a lot more seriously from here on out." He says cryptically. Sasuke looks over at his partner and asks "What did you do?"

Sitting back and cracking a smile he responds "I just gave our fellow basketball enthusiast some words of encouragement."

Back in the game the buzzer went off indicating the end of the time out. Both teams got back on the court, with Shutoku having possession.

Midorima got the ball and was once again guarded by Akashi. He takes steps forward but stays behind the three point line.

"What do you think you're doing Shintaro? It's pointless to try at this point, your defeat is absolute." He says as he prepares for the steal.

At this moment Midorima remembers what Naruto had told him that day after the game with Fukuda.

" _What do you know about the 'Zone'?" naruto asked_

 _"It's a state of extreme focus only the chosen may enter, it allows you to play at one hundred percent. Why do you ask?" He replied._

 _"What if I told you, you could enter the zone at will. Once you're desperate enough use whatever emotion, whether it's desperation or anger to fuel you. Let your instincts take over with that emotion as your drive. When you're desperate enough to do the job yourself the door will open for you."_

"You believe you know everything Akashi." He says. Taking a deep breath his eyes sharpen and the familiar green lightning appears as he enters the Zone. Almost everyone in the arena is shocked at the development. "But you don't"

He bounces and fakes to the left, he makes sure his hand is hidden behind his left leg. As Akashi uses his eye to read where he'll be, he reaches in but misses the ball as it went behind the green haired shooting guards back to his right side.

At speed his teammates didn't know he had he quickly moved right, took one step forward and with that same foot faded back. Knowing Akashi would still be on him he brought up his left knee and extended a bit keeping Akashi at bay.

This stopped him from getting close. The gap between Akashi and Midorima was roughly five feet. Well beyond the redheads ability to reach. Everyone watched silently as the ball traveled in the air before swishing in the net.

The crowed erupted in cheers as they had never seen such a three pointer be made. Akashi was shocked that his eye had failed him. His teammates were also in various states of shock witnessing their captain fail.

"Sei-chan" Mumbled Mibuchi in shock.

Midorima with his heightened focus managed to pick a pass intended for Kotaro. Once again on offense he runs up the court. Akashi in his way once more, looking more angry than anything else now.

"You will not get through" He says as he analyzes Midorima. But the green haired shooting guard isn't phased. Rather than try and face him head on he keeps the ball to his left and begins moving forward, lightly bumping into Akashi and moving him back.

Making sure the ball is far enough away from the red head and checking that he's outside the three point line he does a spin move to his left while once more fading back and bringing the knee up to create space.

Once more the ball swishes in. The crowd erupts in cheers as they can't believe what they're witnessing.

"They're closing the gap!" One yells from the stands.

"Their ace is on fire!" Another yells. The next three plays occur in an almost similar fashion. Midorima using his bigger frame to block bully Akashi away before hitting a deadly fadeaway three pointer.

"Tie game. Kuroko-kun, did you know Midorima could enter the zone?" Riko asks from the stands.

"No, I'm just as surprised as you are. He's the first person to break Akashi's emperor eye. Not only that but it seems he's still fairly new at it, he's tired." He comments.

"He's right." Adds Kiyoshi. "He's breathing heavily, those fadeaway shots from that distance as well as running the offense and defense are taking it's toll on him. If Rakuzan doesn't answer in the next thirty seconds they'll lose."

"Defense, Defense, Defense!" Chanted the Shutoku bench along with the coach.

"It's earlier than anticipated." Began Akashi calmly as he dribbled the ball. "But you've disobeyed me long enough Shintaro." He says before red lighting appears from his eyes as well. He takes a breath and heads down the court breaking the teams ankles in the process.

"Make sure you guys record this." Commanded coach Madara.

"Way ahead of you coach." Naruto answered with a smirk as he had his phone recording. "All according to plan."

Midorima, while in the zone could not stop Akashi from using his ankle breaker on him and fell down and watched as his former teammate scored on them.

"We can't lose, not now." He mumbles to himself as he goes for the ball. He can feel himself leaving the zone, but he forces himself back for a final possession. It's all or nothing.

Dribbling up court he's once more going one on one with Akashi, though this time it's different. Akashi is more focused than he's ever seen him. Dribbling between his legs he once more turns his body for the three point post up. Looking up he sees theres only four seconds of the game left. It was now or never.

Unfortunately for him he hit his limit, he felt his body take the strain of playing all out and was more tired than he's ever felt. Akashi noticing this attacked, using his emperors eye in combination with his Zone, he was able to smack the ball just barely.

Widening his eyes knowing he had lost time he stepped back and shot the three. What was strange was that Akashi let him. The ball was released from his hand just as the buzzer indicating the end of the game went off.

The crowd erupted in cheers once more as they watched the ball swish through the net. However, that was short lived as the officials blew their whistles and announced they were going to replay the final shot, as they weren't sure he had let go in time.

Both teams were quiet as was the crowd having heard what was happening. The officials were checking it through for what seemed like forever before speaking up.

" _Upon checking the replay the shot was still in the shooters finger as the buzzer went off. Shot will not count. Rakuzan victory 86-84._ "

"Damn it" Said Midorima as he dropped to a sitting position on the ground, the strain from the Zone finally taking its complete toll on him.

As he was going to get up he noticed a hand in his view. It was Takao. "You did good Shin-chan" He said, although you could hear the sadness in his voice. Accepting the hand he got up and headed over to the team. They bowed to each other and headed to their respective locker rooms.

"That was a hell of a game." Naruto commented as he too got up and cracked his bones.

"Must be rough knowing you had the victory but lost it because you were a second too slow to release the ball." Tobi said. He had to admit it was one of the most interesting matches he'd seen.

"Looks like if everything goes our way we'll be playing Rakuzan in the finals." Sasuke comments. "Gotta admit though, it was smart of you to help him into the Zone."

"Why did you do that anyway?" Asked Omoi.

"There's no doubt that Akashi was ready to go against Midorima. So I figured if he came across something he wasn't prepared for he'd have to show his hand a little earlier than anticipated. Now we know how he plays both with the emperor eye and in combination with his Zone." He explained.

"So we'll have an idea of what he can do at full power while we still have all our cards hidden." Kismet elaborates.

"That's right. Well the Seirin game doesn't start for another hour I'm gonna go take a piss."

With that he stood up and followed the crowd. He did his business and was heading back and figured he'd talk to the shooting guard. It had been a few minutes since the game ended, Midorima should be done by now. He walked over to a concession stand and bought a drink and some chips while he was at it.

As he neared the locker room he saw the man was talking with Aomine and a short light blue haired guy. Seirin player if the warmup gear was any indication.

Hearing him approach they stopped their conversation and looked at him. He shook hands with Aomine and stuck his fist out for Midorima, who figured that was the blonds thing.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki" He greeted the blue hair guy who seemed shocked that he noticed him.

"Kuroko Tetsuya." He greeted and bowed slightly. Nodding he turned his attention back to the shooting guard.

"Hell of a game."

Pushing up his glasses he nods in appreciation. "Thanks, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to beat Akashi."

"It's because you're inexperienced using the Zone. Had you known how to properly use it to it's full potential you would have won. But that'll come with more practice."

"In any case, you've seen what Akashi can do when he's upset. Can your team handle it?" Aomine asked. He knew the blond was good, real good, but what he saw from Akashi was something else.

"I have no doubt in my mind. It won't be as easy as it's been up until now but I guarantee we'll drop them." Checking his phone he says "Well, i just came over here to tell you I enjoyed the match, Imma head back. You guys gonna come to our game?" He asks.

Aomine nods "Might as well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in seeing how you guys deal with Rakuzan."

"I as well" Midorima says as he types some stuff on his phone "What's your sign?" He asks out of no where.

"Uhh, Libra." He says not knowing where this is going. He watches as the man pulls out darts from his duffel bag. "These are your lucky items for tomorrow, they'll help you guys out."

Taking them he looks at the other two who just shrug as if this were normal. "Right. Thanks." He says and walks back. Teaching Midorima had been a gamble but it certainly paid off. Now all they had to do was win a few more games and the championship was theirs.

 **Well that's chapter 7. Once more I'm so sorry it took so long to get this out. Anyways for those wondering what Midorima was doing, it was basically Dirk Nowitzki's fadeaway jumper only enhanced by being done from three point range. Midorima is bigger than Akashi so it would be basically unblockable.**

 **Those wondering why his emperor eye didn't work, he hid his hand behind his leg while dribbling. Akashi can't see into the future he just perceives things so carefully it looks that way and he can read movements. He can't read a movement of something he can't see.**

 **Anyways I'm not sure if I'm gonna put the Seirin game on here or not. You guys wanna see it? If not I'll head straight into their next match. The game gonna stay cannon so I don't think it'll be too important. So, as always if you have any comments or suggestions leave them in a review or PM me. Later.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Alright guys so a lot of you guys wanted me to skip to the next match. However the problem when adding a team to a tournament is that I'd have to add three others to keep the brackets consistent. So Imma take the L here and we're gonna have the finals happen today. Almost no one wanted to go through the other matches anyway so I hope no one's too disappointed. However this will allow me to get through the main story and go through extra game so we can start the new arc I have in mind. I'll explain how the matches went in this chapter too. Plus the celebration.**

Back at the hotel the team was relaxing thinking about all the matches that had occurred in the past few days. Seirin beat Kaijo by the skin of their teeth, Kise apparently learned how to copy anyone's moves and named it 'perfect copy'. Though he was strong he himself wasn't enough to stop the heart of Seirin and barely lost.

After their match Seirin went up against the current defending champion school, Rakuzan. That had been an intense matchup if Naruto was honest. Although he did dislike Akashi tremendously he hated that eye of his he had to admit the kid was strong. They would have lost actually had their shooting guard fallen for the same trick he used and allowed Seirin a four point play.

They had all been taken so close to the zone that their skills were at their peak. Only allowing the three pointer they stayed up by one and let the clock run out. It wasn't their ideal way of winning but hey, winning is winning.

"So am I the only one that's kind of upset about what happened with us?" Tobi asks laying down tossing a basketball up and down. "We basically got a free ride to the championship game. I don't want people doubting us." He said voicing his concern.

"It's unfortunate that's for sure." Naruto commented "But we've shown everyone we can hold our own. We did it against Touou and Fukuda who people were saying were good. Plus we'll be going up against the ones people call the best. We win that, no one can doubt us." He explains.

"Still can' believe that two players from our next opponent got hospitalized though. I heard a salaryman fell asleep behind the wheel and hit them last night." Sasuke said. "But back to the game, we've got the upper hand. We've seen all their cards.

Seirin put up a hell of a fight but fell short by a point. Had Mibuchi fallen for his own trick and let them get the four point play to tie it, they most likely would have lost and we'd be facing Seirin."

Kisame who was eating a sandwich spoke next "Gotta give Seirin credit, that true zone they did was pretty cool, they moved almost in perfect synch with one another. Too bad for them it wasn't enough to stop a team that was nearly all in the zone."

"That in and of itself was something to behold, Akashi played his position so well his teammates damn near entered the zone themselves." Commented Nagato while on his computer.

"It doesn't matter in the end." Gaara began "We still have tricks up our sleeve. If we play this right, the title is ours for the taking." He didn't speak much but when he did he always had something good to say.

While Naruto was listening to his team talk about all of the past games and what they'd have to do in the finals he began scrolling through his Instagram feed. Normally they'd be training or something but they deserved to relax a bit. No use being too tired to compete, this next game is what everything up until now had been leading to.

As he was scrolling through his feed he noticed he got a notification. A new follower request. Clicking the little icon he scrunched his face in confusion. His team apparently noticed this.

"What's up?" Asks Sasuke.

"I just got a follower request." He explained. His team inched forward in anticipation while making the gesture for 'go on'.

"What's the problem? She ugly?" Asked Kisame as he and Tobi laughed.

"It's from Nash Gold Jr." He said. The team raised their eyebrows in silent question.

"The dude from the streetball team?" Asked Tobi rhetorically knowing that was the only person it could be.

"That's the one" He replied while clicking accept and sending his own request. This was strange.

"Who's Nash Gold Jr?" Asked Neji, he was a good player but he wasn't as deeply invested in the sport as the rest of his teammates.

"He's the captain of an American streetball team named 'Jabberwock'. They're internationally famous and are the current USA Streetball champions. I even heard that some scouts have their eyes on some of the players.

There are rumors that they like to toy with their opponents and are generally disrespectful to anyone who they believe isn't close to competing with them. Though I've seen some videos of them actually being cool with those who can put up a decent challenge to them." Tobi explained.

"So the first impression you give sets the tone for how well you get along with them?" Sasuke asked.

"Pretty much." was the answer. Looking at the icon that read 'requested' he turned the phone off and put it away.

"We'll see what this is about later, for now we should review the footage we have and start planning. We've been dominant up until now but we're going to have to fight harder tomorrow for sure. Remember, victory is within reach." Naruto said, the team nodded and began playing the tape.

The following day finally arrived. The finals were taking place. The game was to begin in twenty minutes so both teams were on the court, still in their warm up gear shooting around. Naruto and Sasuke were taking turns making basic shots. Short jumpers, quick fadeaways, layups etc. Kisame was working with Nagato practicing sky hooks while being guarded.

Tobi was sinking shots from all over the place while Omoi passed him the ball after every shot. On the other side of the court the Rakuzan team was doing layups, one after another perfect layups. After that they took similar shots, the idea being that they were all in synch. Like a well oiled machine.

Naruto rolled his eyes at the display and did a crossover before passing to Sasuke who held the ball for less than a second before releasing. Getting another ball he lobbed to Kisame for the dunk before taking a quick jumper from the free throw line. The blood was flowing.

They kept it up while the bleachers began getting filled with people. Finally it seemed everyone was in attendance and it was time to get the ball rolling. The teams left the court to their respective locker rooms to get ready.

"Alright you guys this is it." Began coach Madara "This is where Konoha leaves it's mark as the top dogs of the tournament. You know what Rakuzan is capable of and they'll definitely come at us hard. But you guys still have a lot to show, they don't know what you're capable of and that will be their downfall.

Uzumaki" He called out. "Anything to add?" Being the captain it was his responsibility to get the team on the same page and have everyone ready physically and mentally.

"Yeah, this is it guys. It's do or die. I don't know about you but I didn't come this far just to lose. I don't feel like going back to school without taking Rakuzan's trophy away from them." He said hyping his team up. It worked as cries of "Hell Yeah" rang out.

"Come on, It's time to go break Rakuzan." He said as the team ran out the locker room in line. They stood outside the door to the entrance and waited for the announcer to begin introducing them.

 **Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the Winter Cup finals to begin**. He announced before going through all of the players on both teams.

The two teams stood facing each other and bowed before getting into position. Kisame walked forward and met Nebuya in the center waiting for the ref to do the jump ball.

Tip off. Konoha barely won the jump ball and secured first possession. Kisame threw the ball back to Naruto who went up the court. He was guarded by Hayama Kotaro the small forward. He seemed a little too excited considering how they'd been performing lately.

Naruto dribbles between the legs keeping a safe distance and analyzes the court to see who's open. Everyone was being guarded pretty well. Guess he'd have to start it.

Speeding up his dribbling he goes left before quickly cutting right and ran to the basket. Hayama was still on him as he made the break for it, as soon as he was close enough he used his shoulder to lightly bump him away and stepped back. He fixed his position in the air so he was in in good shooting form an made the shot.

Everyone ran back on defense. Nebuya inbounded the ball to Mibuchi who began running down the court. Everyone locked onto their player as Nagato went to defend him. He was reaching in and was applying quite a bit of pressure.

" _He's not giving me enough space to get into shooting motion_ " Mibuchi thinks. He passes the ball a bit away from Hayama so it wouldn't be picked off. The blond haired boy dribbles defensively as Sasuke guards him. He smirks and begins dribbling much harder.

Thanks to the previous game against Seirin Sasuke knew his pattern. " _Three fingers_ " he thought to himself. He was right. He watched as three fingers touched the ball and he made his move. The moment after that first dribble Sasuke went to his right as he knew Hayama favored driving left.

He shot his hand in and managed to smack the ball, though his hand did make a resounding 'slap' noise as it hit the ball. Kinda hurt actually.

Tobi, who happened to be the closest to them broke away from Chihiro and got the ball and sprinted down the court. He looked back and saw no one near him, it was an easy layup.

Mibuchi went to inbound and saw Akashi raise his hand. Passing to their captain he ran up the court. Akashi calmly walked up the court and as expected Naruto was guarding him. He got in close and began reaching in, careful enough not to make contact with the red haired boy as to not get a foul.

Akashi was playing more defensively than he would've liked, he was dribbling further away from him rather than right up front like he usually did. Seeing there was no way he could do ankle break with him so close to him he passed to Hayama who managed to drive hard enough to get a bucket.

Naruto looked at Akashi who was turning around ready for defense and narrowed his eyes in slight anger. He hasn't begun to take them seriously yet.

"Akashi" He called out, the boy turned his head to look at him but said nothing. "In your past two games you've come very close to losing, only winning by one point each game." He says. Akashi narrows his visible eye at being reminded of how close he came to failure.

"If you don't take us seriously you're not just gonna lose, you're going to get decimated." With that being said he ran back and got the ball. He began walking before jogging and picking up speed. " _I'll make you take it seriously"_

The boy seemingly took his advice because he was waiting for Naruto at their end, emperor eye blazing. " _Try whatever you want Akashi, you're not gonna stop me._ " he thinks as he makes his move.

The crowd watches as Naruto goes full speed at Akashi who has his arms slightly extended ready to get the steal. They watch as he nears him and begins moving the ball behind his back.

Akashi used his very advanced perception to predict Naruto would be passing the ball to Sasuke behind his back. As he approached he began going to the right and reaching in. True enough the ball did go behind his back, but not as he expected. At the last second he flicked the ball through his legs back to his front and took off.

He jumped for the layup and noticed Nebuya was in the air ready to swat the ball. As he neared he switched hands and made the shot with his left off the backboard. Crowd went crazy after that. As he ran back he passed by Akashi and said "That eye isn't going to help you against me" loud enough so only his target could hear.

Up in the stands above the bleachers Momoi asked "How did he manage to completely fly by Akashi with so little effort?" She too couldn't believe someone had done it that simply. Pushing his glasses up the Shutoku shooting guard responded.

"It's no surprise to me as he's the one who taught me how to get around the emperor eye. Though I agree watching him do it with such little effort has shock value." He comments.

Back down on the court Naruto fist bumped with Sasuke and got back on defense. Hayama came blazing down the court with Nagato on him. It was one thing stopping his stationary, another while he was in motion. He used his lightning dribble and jumped for the layup. For a moment it seemed that Nagato would get the block but the boy double clutched at the last second and made the shot. Sasuke got the inbound and was met at the three point line by Mibuchi who wasn't giving him much working space. He tried getting by but couldn't risk it with this one as he was known to intentionally draw fouls.

Luckily for him Tobi sprinted behind him, he handed to ball back to him and spun around Mibuchi who was momentarily distracted by the hand off. Tobi quickly bounce passed back to the black haired boy who lobbed the ball up in the air to Kisame for the alley oop.

[ _Whistle_ ] "Rakuzan time out" Yelled the ref as both teams left the court.

"Good work out there, you're doing a good job of scoring in the paint and keeping them at bay for the most part. You all know that after this time out they're going to come at us stronger, they won't do their team zone until they feel they're cornered so for now focus on a strong offense.

Make every possession count, we won't always have the perfect plays and not everything will always go our way thats part of the game, but when it comes down to it we'll hit them with our secret weapon. Now lets go." Coach said pumping up his team.

The game started back up and the coach was right Akashi ran straight up and didn't let Naruto have a chance to apply pressure as he did a spin move and passed to Nebuya. Even though he was being guarded by Kisame he still managed to get the slam.

" _He's stronger than I anticipated, oh well it'll be that much better once I win_ " Kisame thought as he got the ball and inbounded. Naruto got the ball and sprints into the paint. Mibuchi and Hayama immediately ran to stop him. As he neared he jumped and turned in mid air and passed to Tobi.

Chihiro having seen what was going to happen ran at Tobi to try and stop the shot but he was a tad too slow. Tobi has enough space and managed to hit a three pointer. Nothing but net.

The game continued in a similar fashion for the remainder of the first and second quarter, both teams playing harder in this game than they had throughout the whole tournament. The score was 44-37 in Konoha's favor.

"Time to step it up" Naruto said to his team. Akashi came down the court, his eyes set on Naruto. The moment he got close enough he used his emperor eye and did his signature crossover. _"I'm ready for this_ " Naruto thought as he only slightly stumbled but managed to stay upright.

Akashi stepped back and frowned " _How? Even Shintaro who managed to get around my Emperor eye couldn't stay upright when faced with ankle break. Even when he was in the zone._ " he thought to himself. " _This one's different from the rest_ " he says as he dribbles between the legs and attempts ankle break again to no avail.

Naruto moved forward and applied pressure making sure not to give any space. It paid off as the buzzer went off indicating a shot clock violation. Konoha once more got possession as Akashi walked back, hands clenching every now and then.

Up in the stands Riko comments "This is the most aggressive I've seen Konoha play." Up until now they hadn't displayed such tenacity on defense due to their overwhelming offense.

"I know, even with three uncrowned kings on Rakuzan they're still managing to hold them down." Kiyoshi comments.

They weren't the only ones shocked at the game. Aomine was as well. He remembered the blond telling them at lunch that they'd break Rakuzan down was one thing, but he didn't imagine that they would be doing this well.

Naruto got the ball and ran up court. He watched Akashi mark him and began dribbling faster than usual, he was looking more like a streetball player. The crowd was getting hyped for the potential one on one but it was not to be as Akashi raised a fist.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hayama coming at him and had to bounce behind the back to his left. He passed once more behind the back to his right and shot a bullet pass to Sasuke who was now free to run up the court.

Not wanting the gap to extend Nebuya jumped to stop him. Only to find out it was a pump fake. He bounced the ball under the giant to Kisame who two handed windmill dunked over Rakuzan's center. To add insult he even held onto the rim for a second before jumping down and bumping into Nebuya.

Everyone could see that Rakuzan was getting frustrated, and if they couldn't they could after what happened.

"Oi Akashi!" Nebuya yelled as he grabbed him by the jersey and even lifted him off of the floor a few inches. "What the hell are you doing?! You're supposed to lead us to victory with that eye of yours but I'm not seeing it. Get your head out of your ass and do your job!" He yelled and stopped when he felt Mibuchi's hand on his shoulder.

Akashi reaches up and takes his hand off him. "Don't worry. Things will change from here on out." When he looked up everyone saw the red lightning indicating his entrance to the zone.

"So it's finally starting." Says Sasuke as he wipes some sweat off with his jersey. This game was definitely exhausting, these guys were on a different level than the rest. Akashi ran up the court with his Zone enhanced emperor eye blazing.

Naruto guarded him well for a bit but Akashi managed to speed through and get a shot in. " _Seeing it is one thing, defending it is another but it's not impossible._ " Thought Naruto. Rakuzan went on a 6-0 run as their team plays enhanced dramatically. They must have subconsciously adjusted after those two near losses because of the same issue.

Looking up at the scoreboard the third quarter had two minutes remaining and the score was 46-45 konoha.

Inbounding the ball Naruto called out "Sasuke". The boy nodded and got the ball. Everyone but him ran forward, he took a deep breath and allowed the black lightning to appear. The crowd was eating it up seeing as a zone vs zone battle was about to start. The only ones not hyped were the players in the bleachers watching.

Midorima was thinking to himself "Why is he not taking care of it himself? Why have his teammate battle? Surely he's capable of entering the zone himself".

"I don't know" Replied Aomine having the same train of thought "He's up to something though that's for sure."

Sasuke ran up and to Hayama and did a spin move while at the same time using a three finger lightning dribble to get passed.

"What!" Yelled Hayama, he'd never seen anyone else be able to do his move before. Sasuke even managed to get a dunk in. Mibuchi frowned and got the ball and passed it to his captain. Playing Konoha's own game Akashi started doing his own streetball moves to try and get passed. Both players maneuvered through the court with no one getting in their way.

Eventually the high speed caught up with Sasuke as when he tried to reach in when he saw an opening, Akashi used ankle break and managed to drop him. He stopped and hit a jump shot. The ball went in just the buzzer went off indicating the end of the third. The score was 50-47 Konoha.

"Sasuke" called Naruto. "Save it for the fourth, we're going to end them." Sasuke kissed his teeth in annoyance but let the lightning recede and went back to the coach.

"This is it, the final minutes of the tournament. You've held on well so far, but now it's time for the grand finale. Uzumaki, you know what you have to do." He says. Naruto nods and stands up.

They started the fourth with the ball. Akashi was still in the zone, that was ok, it was for their advantage. Naruto walked up the court and met Akashi who had a different air around him, as a matter of fact the whole team was different.

"Uzumaki-san" Akashi called "Allow me to congratulate you for pushing us this far. You and your team are definitely skilled and you all have earned my respect in that regard. You're the only ones who have forced us into a corner like this. But this is as far as you go." He said as his teammates stepped forward, similar red lightning flashing from their eyes. The first five minutes of the game were intense as Rakuzan managed to tie the game. There were times where Kisame would get rejected and would later return the favor.

Nagato would make work of Mibuchi before having to try his hardest to stop him from making his jumpers. Tobi was actually being boxed out by Chihiro well enough to stop him from scoring as much as he'd like. Both teams committed turnovers when the defense was too intense. It was definitely a game for the books.

As the last five minutes arrived the score was 70-70. Naruto had to give them credit, they had great stamina to compete at this level this long but this was it.

Naruto got the ball and spoke "Akashi, if we were any other team you would have won. But sadly for you, we're not any other team." He said as yellow lightning emerged from him. The big shocker was that Kisame had blue lightning, Nagato had red, Tobi and Sasuke had black.

"Ohhhhh!" Yelled the crowd. "They have a team zone too!"

Riko was one of the most shocked in the arena. "It's not like Rakuzan's" She said. Koganei who heard her asked "What do you mean?"

"It means that in Rakuzan only Akashi is in the zone." Said Kagami. "His teammates are all close but not entirely there."

Hyuga jumped in "Every member of Konoha's team is in the zone right now. Not close, but actually in." He said trying to fathom how this team had been unheard of until now.

"That's unreal" added Kagami once more, he could literally feel the pressure that Konoha was putting on Rakuzan from where he was.

"Kise" Asked Kasamatsu "How is something like this possible?" He thought Rakuzan's team zone was the most powerful thing he'd seen when they played Seirin, but this was something else.

"I'm not sure to be honest." The blond replied "I've never seen something like this. For someone to enter the zone it takes immense concentration and incredible drive. Akashi's elevated plays is what brought his team close to that level. These guys however aren't relying on him to get them there. They got in all by themselves." He explained to Kaijo.

Naruto had the ball and began walking down to court, slowly to build effect. As he approached he saw Akashi on him, more concentrated than he'd ever seen him

"You know" He began "I've been waiting for this moment right here since you and your generation of miracles humiliated me two years ago in jr high." he said. It dawned on the GOM why he seemed to be cold to them before meeting them.

To Yosen, Himuro now knew why he had given Murasakibara that look in the elevator before that fight could've broken out. Kise remembered what the blond was talking about and immediately felt shame as he had pretty much orchestrated all of those matches back then.

"Let me show you what it feels like to be on the other side of that humiliation." He said as he crossed between his legs before crossing left to right.

" _Akashi will use his emperor eye to stop me on the right._ " As expected he did, the moment Akashi stepped over he brought did his behind the back ankle breaker. Time seemed to slow down for everyone as they watched the red haired captain tumble down.

Naruto looked down "Lower your head" he mimicked and shot the three. Splash.

Rakuzan continued the game all while Akashi was still on the floor. They didn't have time to see what was going on with him. Too bad for them they struggled against Konoha as their borrowed zone was running out. Watching their seemingly unstoppable captain get beat was a huge hit to their morale.

Nebuya ran to the rim and jumped "AHHH!" He yelled as he went for the dunk.

"I don't think so!" Yelled Kisame as he met him up in the air. His hand slammed against the ball as the two fought for dominance. However, with Kisame being in the zone his strength was at it's max and he stole the ball in mid air and made a break for it.

Nebuya wasn't an uncrowned king for nothing and quickly used the last of his zone power to keep up with Kisame and try and stop him. Kisame jumped from the free throw line and saw Nebuya in front of him to try and stop him.

"Not today!" Kisame yelled as he leaned forward and slammed the ball with one hand and dropped Rakuzan's center in the process. As the crowd cheered at the display Akashi was on the ground thinking to himself.

" _So this is failure."_

 _"It was inevitable, we came close to it twice before and we were arrogant to think it wouldn't happen."_ his own voice replied.

" _We shouldn't see it as a failure. We should see it as a lesson. Splitting into two was a mistake. We lost ourselves in the process and this is the result_ "

He smiled bitterly. "It's our loss, however, we're not going down like this."

He stands up and sees Hayama get the ball. He raises his hands up and the boy looks hesitant but tosses him the rock.

Naruto who was back on defense noticed something was different about Akashi. His emperor eye was gone, and he seemed different. Still, he could think of that later, he watched as he looked for Mibuchi.

" _Got it_ " he thought as he ran towards him effectivly leaving Hayama open. After two steps he sprinted back and picked the pass before dipping. The trail of lightning the only thing left in his spot. He noticed Mibuchi stood in front of him, arms ready.

He went left and did a spin move to the right and stepped forward before no look passing to Tobi at the three. He hit it.

"Hayama actually managed to get inside to make a basket through sheer willpower as he too was running on fumes. Nagato got his moment as well as he got the ball and passed it to Kisame who was being guarded by Nebuya.

Their center got the ball and jumped as he did he threw the ball backwards back to Nagato who hit the mid range jumper. The final few seconds approached and they let Nebuya get one dunk in as to get possession.

The shot clock was turned off. Naruto got the ball and once more dropped Akashi who even though was playing slightly better still couldn't match his zone. He hit the jumper from the free throw line and watched it drain as the final buzzer rang.

[ _Whistle_ ] "Game over Konoha wins 78-74" The ref yelled as the confetti dropped from the ceiling. The crowd cheered as they watched the team get awarded the Winter Cup. They took turns holding the trophy high in the air. They did it.

The two teams bowed once more and began to clear the court. As Naruto went over to the bench with his team to take a picture of the trophy he heard something.

"Uzumaki-san" Turning around he saw Akashi waiting for him.

"I would like to formally apologize for the stuff I have done in the past." He says as he bows deeply, surprising his current team and even his former team.

"I became arrogant and acted in an unsightly manner, my behavior was unacceptable and no one deserved to be talked to like I did to you. And for that I apologize." He said.

Naruto also looking in shock as he didn't think he'd go this far. " _It's a genuine apology. This is the change I felt a few minutes ago in the game. He's someone else entirely. His gaze no longer has that 'holier than thou' look to it. I did what I had to do and it's over now_ " He thinks to himself.

"It's fine, yeah it was an asshole thing to do but it motivated me to get stronger. It's in the past now." He says as he extends a hand. Even Akashi himself looked a bit surprised that he had let it go. He had expected an 'ok' and to leave.

"Perhaps it would be fun to play once more." Akashi began. "Your team is strong, incredibly so. I'd like to see how a match between you guys and myself with my former teammates would go down." He says.

"It'd be a hell of a game. Just let me know when you'd like it to happen." Naruto said as he turned around and walked to the locker room.

In the locker room the team was screaming in celebration, even the ever stoic coach was smiling slightly at the sight of the trophy.

"All right listen up" He began. "We're only here tomorrow and we have to head back the next day. Take today and tomorrow to relax and celebrate as you please. You've earned it. I'm heading back to the hotel now, unlike you I'm not as young." He says as he takes a soda and departs.

They waited till he was out of the room before Kisame spoke. "All right guys, I didn't tell you this but a few days ago I contacted one of my friends down here and told him if we could get in his club tonight as we'd be champions." He said.

"You were that confident in our victory huh?" Nagato asked smirking.

"Hell yeah, anyways he said it was alright, we even get complimentary drinks if you know what I mean. It's in Roppongi next to the Mori tower so we won't have to worry about any shortages. I also got these." He says as he reaches into his bag and pulls out eight key cards.

"What are those?" Sasuke asked taking one.

"Hehehe these are access cards to a hotel in Roppongi across the street from where the club is at. you know, incase we get lucky." He said drawing smirks from some of the guys.

"Well you can count me out." Said Neji "Loud music and obnoxious people doesn't sound like a good night to me." Gaara and Omoi felt the same way. He turned to the others. They each extended their hand and took one.

They finished getting changed and began leaving the arena. People giving them thumbs up and cheering as they passed by. Naruto saw Momoi, Midorima, and Aomine also leaving and headed over there. "I'll be right back." He told his team.

"Yo" He says as he greets everyone. "So listen, me and the guys are going out tonight to a club next to the Mori tower in Roppongi. You guys wanna swing by and have a good time?" He offers. These three had become pretty good friends to him over the past few days, even if two started out as enemies.

"I'd rather sleep but whatever, I'm in." Aomine said.

"I don't think I can make it. I have to study for a quiz." Momoi said disappointedly.

"Clubs and bars are not my thing I'm afraid." Midorima said.

"Oi, just tag along with me so I have at least someone else I know besides them. Just for an hour." Aomine tried convincing them before he had an idea. "Didn't Oha Asa encourage you to try new things? This is something you don't do."

Midorima had nothing to say as his own daily ritual had been used against him. "Just an hour." He said strictly. Naruto laughed and said cool he'd see them there at 10pm.

When the time came the team took the subway down to Roppongi and it looks like Kisame wasn't lying. They had dressed the part, everyone wearing a dress shirt with a nice looking open jacket over it. The club was blaring music and they were let in without question. Kisame told the bouncer at the door that they should expect two more people and briefly described them.

The team enjoyed themselves as they took some drinks, Sasuke and Naruto taking light stuff while Kisame was throwing down hard liquor. At around ten thirty the two extras arrived, both also dressing the part. Probably Midorima's orders thought Naruto to himself.

Aomine had no issues going up to girls and 'dancing' as was the case with Naruto and Sasuke as they too enjoyed themselves with various girls. Kisame noticed that Midorima was just standing there looking out of place even though he saw some girl looking at him. He let a shark like grin appear on his face.

He motioned to the bar tender to get him a drink and walked over and slung his arm around the boys shoulders.

"Yo, we're at a club why aren't you dancing with girls?" He asked

"This is not my typical environment." He replied stiffly.

"Hahaha a stick in the mud huh, here try this." He said handing the cup to him. Midorima looked at it wearily.

"What is it?" He asked as he took a sniff and had to push it away. His nose hurt smelling it.

"It's courage juice. Trust me it'll help you relax." Well Oha Asa did say to try new things. He took a breath and took a sip. He coughed as soon as it hit his throat. Kisame laughed as he watched the first timer try and drink. He slipped a card in the boys pocket and headed over to some girls. He'll be good for the night he thought as he walked away.

At around 3am the team was ready to call it quits but couldn't find Aomine or Midorima anywhere. They figured they left so they called a cab and headed back to the hotel, but that was not the case.

A few hours later as the sun rose the team woke up feeling tired but accomplished at the same time. They won the winter cup and even got some light play at the club the night before.

"Yo, did anyone catch where Aomine or Midorima were?" He asked.

Nobody knew, feeling kind of guilty he decided to head to Roppongi to look for the boy and hope nothing bad happened to him. When he reached the club the bouncer told him they escorted the blue haired one out after he had picked a fight and the green haired one left across the street.

That shot his eyebrows up in surprise. He headed to the hotel and asked if his 'brother' was here. He was told he was on the third floor room 101. When he reached there he was about to knock when the door opened.

A girl with blond hair with some green and blue highlights was walking out of the room. She was wearing a black leather jacket and black jeans, her makeup was kind of smeared but that didn't seem to stop her from lighting up the cigarette in her mouth.

She looked back and said "Hey call me alright?" before ignoring him and walking away. Taking a peak inside the room he found a shirtless Midorima multiple bruises on his chest as he was sitting up on the bed with his hand holding his head.

He made a coughing noise to get his attention. He was about to speak when Midorima spoke first.

"Not a word about this to anyone" He said. Naruto raised his hands and said he'd see him later just wanted to make sure he was ok.

" _I guess he was more than ok_ " He thought to himself laughing. With that he headed back to the hotel, they had one more day here and he was going to get the most of it.

As he was on the train his phone went off. He had gotten a message on Instagram. He read over it and frowned to himself again.

"What does Jabberwock want to meet me for?"

 **So that was the winter cup, what did you guys think? Also in my story I made it to where Jabberwock aren't grade A assholes and only disrespect those who they deem too weak as opposed to just being dicks to everyone. So tell me what you guys think. Also now that the winter cup is done I mentioned back in chapter five that I would be doing an international tournament arc set in America.**

 **We'll get into that in the next chapter or two. For now just let me know what you'd like to see from that. As always if you have any suggestions or comments leave them in a review or PM me. Later.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Yo I'm back and man oh man have some crazy things been going on in the NBA. Warriors swept lebron, then he went to the lakers. The raptors must be so happy that they're not gonna lose to him anymore and instead will lose to Kyrie and the Celtics. Demarcus Cousins signed with the warriors for a year it's crazy. Anyways in this chapter we'll begin the events of Last Game. Also keep in mind I've made it to where Jabberwock aren't complete assholes like they were in the manga/anime. Anyways with that in mind I hope you like the chapter and the direction it will go in.**

Right after promising Midorima he wouldn't say a word to anyone about him having gotten laid with a punk rock chick he headed back to the hotel. They were only there for today and tomorrow morning they be heading right back to school. It didn't take him too long to get back to their hotel, to his surprise his teammates weren't there and their stuff wasn't packed either so they must have gone to get breakfast.

It took him about half an hour to finish packing and his team still wasn't back. He checked the time and it was only about 9am. "Might as well go out and enjoy the day." He said out loud. He went over and picked up his ball and headed back to the park where he first played against Aomine. He made it there quickly and began warming up with short jumpers and layups.

As he was practicing a drive to layup that he'd seen Kyrie Irving do he remembered the message he'd received on train on the way back from checking on Midorima. He hadn't replied yet. Walking over to where he'd put his phone he replied asking when and where they wanted to meet.

As he began dribbling his phone went off. "That was fast" He said to himself as he picked his phone up again. Rather than check the message he quickly checked the world clock just to make sure of something. "5pm in America. That explains it." He quickly opened his messages again. "Roppongi Hills next week." He read out loud. Agreeing he set the phone down and continued to practice. As he took his shots he couldn't help but wonder what it is they wanted, they still hadn't said. Oh well, he'd find out soon. For now he had some techniques to work on.

The day went by relatively quickly. He managed to get better at his drives and for the most part got the technique down. He got back to the hotel later that night and after a shower he was out. The following day the team was all packed up and ready to go.

As they were waiting in the hotel lobby as their coach checked out Kisame spoke.

"Man I can't think of a better way to end our high school years. We're graduating as champions and I'm going to play ball at Kyoto University."

"I feel the same way." Nagato said as he fist bumped with their center. "Only I'm going to be playing at Osaka."

"Yeah you guys get to go out with a bang." Naruto commented as he held on to the Winter Cup trophy. He then turned to the others and asked about their plans. Gaara, Omoi, and Neji all said they weren't going to be rejoining the basketball team next year as they had other plans.

"I'm not too sure. My family is thinking about moving up north to Hokkaido for our business but we're not sure yet. It's a high probability that I won't be back though." He said somewhat sadly.

"Looks like it's a good thing we won then." Tobi said "If the team is breaking up already at least we made our time worth while." He said while patting the trophy and looking at his reflection on it. The coach came back and they were headed to the bus. Naruto was a bit down knowing that they wouldn't be able to compete next year due to lack of members but was glad with how their run ended. They won a championship and he made amends with the generation of miracles. " _Let's see how this all plays out_ ". He thought as he got on the bus.

The rest of the week went by fast. Kisame and Nagato graduated that week and some of their other friends decided to throw a party for them. They celebrated both the graduation and the championship victory. It was during the party that Naruto took his phone out and sent a message out to Nash. He still needed to know where and when in Roppongi they wanted to meet. He got his answer and coincidentally it was at the same club where he and the guys had celebrated after they had won.

They wanted to meet at 11pm two days from now. They even said they'd pay for his ride home if he lived too far, which worked well for him. He agreed and closed the app. Nothing really interesting was happening at the party so he grabbed a soda and found a good spot to sit.

" _Might as well do a little research._ " He thought to himself. He opened up YouTube and began looking up videos of the team. The only thing he could say was, they were really good. After that he began looking up their individual player profiles. Nash Gold Jr. was the captain and was about to be the equivalent of a third year. Same with Jason Silver. The rest weren't as impressive but they were still pretty good. He put his phone away and rejoined the festivities.

Two days later

It was about ten pm and he was almost ready to head out. It was a club so he was wearing the same thing he had worn when he went with his team. It was about a 45min train ride to Roppongi from where he was at so he decided to start heading out. Making sure he had everything he locked his apartment and left to the train station.

Once he got there he walked inside and began to look around. People were everywhere enjoying themselves whether it be dancing, drinking, or smoking. He began moving through the crowd mildly entertaining the thought of dancing with some of the girls who would grind against him as he walked by.

He looked up and saw a big bouncer guarding a giant booth. Sure enough there were the members of Jabberwock. " _Damn VIP treatment and everything._ " he thought to himself. He walked up the stairs and walked towards them but stopped as the bouncer stepped in front of him.

"Oi Andre, it's cool let him through. We're waiting on him." A voice spoke. It turned out to be Nash who spoke, the first thing he picked up was that the man's Japanese was really good. He only had a slight accent to it. The man moved aside and let him through before taking his post once more. Naruto walked forward and was motioned to sit.

Across from him was Nash and next to him was Jason. Around them standing talking to either each other or some girls were the rest of the team.

"Naruto Uzumaki." Nash spoke, it sounded weird having someone call his name in the reverse order but remembered that's how they did it in America. "I'm Nash Gold Jr and this is Jason Silver." He introduced, he must have known Naruto knew them but introduced them anyways. "Thanks for coming." He added as he took a drink.

"Oi Nick." He called out to his shooting guard. "Get this man a drink." Nick looked at him and nodded before leaving. Soon enough he came back and put a small bottle on the table and went back to what he was doing.

"Thanks" Naruto said to him. He took a sip before looking at Nash. "I've been wondering for the past week what exactly you guys wanted to meet me for. The last thing I expected was for a highly known American team to reach out to me." He began.

A smirk came across Silvers face. "Hn. Good, straight to the point."

"We'll cut right to the chase then." Nash said, he too mirroring Silver's smirk. "We've been following the winter cup even in America. A handful of players stood out but you did more so than anyone." Here his expression turned serious.

"Before we came here we made a decision with our head coach. We're offering you a spot in Jabberwock." He said seriously. Naruto's eyes widened, that was not what he was expecting to hear.

"But you're an American team." He replied, wondering how they would answer.

"That's true, but should you agree you'd be provided with a place to live, we'd pay for your flight to California with us, and you'd even be transferred to the same high school as the rest of us." Nash answered.

Naruto frowned as he realized there was a problem. "Your school would just allow me to be on the team?"

This time Silver took over. "Jabberwock isn't a high school team. It's a team funded by my old man's company back in America." He explained. He looked like he was going to ask something else but was stopped by Nash who continued.

"Have you ever heard of AAU?" Naruto shook his head no.

"It's the Amateur Athletic Union. An organization based in America that's sponsored by big corporations like Nike, Adidas, and Under Armor. Pretty much you play against the best teams in the state and even across America. Plenty of college basketball coaches go to check out the games looking for talent.

You impress them and get into a good school and your chances of going into the NBA increases dramatically." He says as he takes another drink and leans back in his seat. "In fact we played a game in Texas where James Harden was watching." He says shocking Naruto. They've never had any pro athletes of his caliber show up in Japan.

"To make it simple you're being offered to play in America with damn near everything paid for." Silver says as he knocks down another beer.

" _Damn, this is not what I was expecting._ " Naruto thought to himself.

"How long do I have to think on it?" He followed up.

"We're here for the next two weeks. Let us know two days before we leave so we can make arrangements." Nash says. Naruto nods and brings his phone out to check the time. It's only been half an hour. Nash noticed this and spoke.

"If I'm right the last train leaves in about an hour. We told you we had you covered on transportation, you came this far why not enjoy yourself?" He asked rhetorically. He leaned back and two girls came and sat down right next to him. He snapped his fingers and Naruto was handed a drink by an older looking girl who also took a seat next to him, very close to him.

Naruto smiled slightly " _Well maybe I can stay for a while longer_ " He thought.

Two days later Naruto was back home and was sitting in front of his TV eager to watch the game. News had spread about Jabberwock having a game today and it was time to see what they had. They were playing against team Strky, a team composed of Kasamatsu of Kaijo, Miyaji of Shutoku, Imayoshi of Touou, Okamura of Yosen, and Higuchi of Rakuzan.

The game began and Strky seemed to be doing pretty well, they were up six to zero. And then things went south for them. Jabberwock began using their streetball moves they had been known for and took the lead pretty fast. Needless to say it became a one sided blowout. Silver was a monster in the paint and Nash had ridiculous handles. Following the game Jabberwock decided not to bother shaking hands with them.

" _I honestly expected more from them. We were told we'd be playing against great players, but I didn't see it._ " They heard Silver say. " _Ten hour flight here just to waste our time_ " He added. Naruto remembered what Tobi had explained.

" _They like to toy with their opponents and are generally disrespectful to anyone who they believe isn't close to competing with them."_ Then he remembered Sasuke's words after.

" _So the first impression you give sets the tone for how well you get along with them._ "

The cameras moved to the crowd who were on their feet booing loudly, not taking kindly to their words. He heard them begin yelling how the Generation of Miracles would take them down no problem.

" _Hm, bring whoever the hell you want and we'll beat them._ " He heard Nash yell back. He watched as a man walked up to them and issued a challenge. Jabberwock against their team and if they lose they have to publicly apologize. The challenge was accepted and the team walked off the stage. Naruto turned off the TV and headed out to get something to eat.

" _Their handles looked better than the videos I saw on YouTube. Some of those plays were completely disrespectful but I guess when you're that strong no one can tell you anything._ " he thought to himself as he walked.

The next morning as he was eating breakfast his phone rang, he grabbed his phone and saw it was Momoi. He hadn't heard from her since the winter cup. He had actually forgotten she had his number. Swallowing his food quickly he answered.

"Hello"

" _Good morning Uzumaki-kun, how are you doing?_ " She answered.

"I'm alright thank you. Is there something you needed?" He asked wanting to get the pleasantries out of the way and get to the point.

" _Have you heard of the challenge that's been issued against Jabberwock?_ " She asked. He had a feeling he knew where this was going.

"I have, I actually watched the game on TV so I saw what happened."

" _Well we're putting a team together to go against them. We have the Generation of Miracles plus Kagami and few others. I was in charge of gathering the rest of the team and figured you'd be a perfect addition since you're on their level as well._ " She explained.

"Hmmm, yeah it'd be fun to play against them. Really test their abilities." He said more so to himself than Momoi but she didn't know that. "Where should I go?"

" _Practice starts tomorrow at the Touou Gym. We'll be practicing for about four days to prepare for the match."_ She tells him.

"I'm interested but the thought of travelling that far everyday isn't too appealing. I live far and taking a bullet train every day will be expensive."

" _Oh that's no problem you can stay over with Dai-chan._ " He could almost picture the giant smile on her face as she suggested the idea. He heard Aomine in the background start questioning her on when she was allowed to let people stay with him. They went back and forth for a few minutes before he relented and agreed.

" _He said it's fine_ "

"Alright then I'll be there tomorrow morning." He hung up and sat down. He thought back to everything that was being offered to him, analyzing the pros and cons. On one hand he would be on the other side of the world, he'd be leaving all of his friends, and he'd be a stranger in a new land.

On the other hand he was most likely not playing basketball at school since the team split. Besides school sanctioned events there weren't many opportunities to get your name out there, here he would be given a bigger stage and more chances to be noticed. He recalled that some scouts already had their eyes on Jabberwock. He contemplated this for over an hour before he had made up his mind.

He picked up his phone and sent Nash a message.

"I've made up my mind. I'll let you know right after we finish the upcoming game. I want to see how good you are up close before solidifying my decision." He read out loud. He got a response back within the hour.

" _so you'll be one of our opponents. This'll be interesting. We'll talk after the game._ " Was the response. He didn't reply and put his phone away and went to pack up his stuff. He finished relatively quickly since it was only going to be for a couple days then went on his computer and began taking care of some more important things. It took him nearly the rest of the day to get everything set up but he had done it. Everything was set.

The next morning he got his duffle bag and was on the first bullet train out to practice. He got his ticket, got on the train, put his headphones on and contemplated everything that was going on. He shook his head and decided he'd cross that bridge when he came to it. For now it was just focusing on the match against Jabberwock. That is going to be one of the hardest games he's played. He knows it.

 **Alright so I'm gonna go ahead and stop there. Also a change, the formation of team Strky happened much earlier since I didn't want to do a one year time skip. I've never read a story that's taking the direction I am, mostly because most stories are Indonesian or some other language other than English. So tell me what you guys think of it so far, I know there wasn't much action but it's necessary for what's to come. Next time we get to see Vorpal Swords vs Jabberwock.**

 **If there's anyone you'd like to see join the team let me know since they only had like three bench players which honestly didn't do much. I'm planning on replacing them with others, one being Himuro. Anyways that's all for now as always if you have any suggestions or comments leave them in a review or PM me. Later.**


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